AFGHAN CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AT RECORD HIGH: UN

KABUL: The number of Afghan civilians killed in the country’s long-running conflict hit a record high in the first six months of 2018, UN figures showed on Sunday, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death.

The toll of 1,692 fatalities was 1% more than a year earlier and the highest for the period since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) began keeping records in 2009. Another 3,430 people were wounded in the war, down five percent from the same period last year, the report said.

Overall civilian casualties -5,122 - fell three percent year on year. Hours after the report was released a suicide attacker blew himself up at a government ministry in Kabul, killing at least seven people, including civilians. More than 15 were wounded.

The record high death toll came despite an unprecedented ceasefire by Afghan security forces and the Taliban last month that was largely respected by both sides, UNAMA said.

The ceasefire for the first three days of Eid was marked by scenes of jubilation as security forces and Taliban fighters celebrated the Islamic holiday, raising hopes that peace was possible after nearly 17 years of conflict.

But the suspension of hostilities was marred by two suicide attacks in the eastern province of Nangarhar that killed dozens of people and were claimed by the Islamic State group, which was not part of the ceasefire.

The Taliban refused a government request to extend the truce, returning to the battlefield and ignoring calls to enter talks with Kabul to end the war. ISLAMABAD: Social media giant Facebook has disabled various accounts and pages of the Milli Muslim League (MML), a political faction of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeedled Jamaat ud Dawa, local media reported.

The move comes a couple of months after Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said it was his priority to make sure Facebook supports positive discourse and prevents interference in the upcoming elections of Pakistan, India, Brazil, Mexico and other countries, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Facebook officials recently contacted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and offered to make an exclusive trend for general elections scheduled for July 25. The social networking site also offered help to local authorities to identify and remove fake pages of different political parties, the report added.

MML spokesperson Tabish Qayyum told journalists that Facebook removed numerous accounts of their candidates and workers without giving any reason. He described Facebook’s act