Afghanistan civilian death rate soars

CIVILIAN casualties in Afghanistan soared to a record high in the first half of 2016, the UN said yesterday, with children in particular paying a heavy price as insurgents step up fighting and insecurity grows.

The UN report, which comes two days after the deadliest attack in Kabul since 2001, cited ground combat between militants and NATO-backed Afghan forces as the leading cause of casualties.

Between January and June, 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 were wounded – a four percent increase in casualties compared to the same period last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said. The casualties include 1,509 children .

The casualties have reached their highest level since the UN began issuing its authoritative reports in 2009.

The statistics are a grim indicator of growing insecurity in Afghanistan as the Taliban step up their nationwide insurgency and Islamic State seeks to expand their foothold in the east of the country.

The report said insurgent groups including the Taliban were responsible for the majority – 60 per cent – of civilian casualties. But it also reported a 47 per cent increase in the number of casualties caused by pro-government forces, compared to the same period last year.