Civilian deaths in Afghanistan hit record high: UN
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 Sunday, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death.
The toll of 1,692 fatalities was one percent more than a year earlier and the highest 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.
The record high death toll came despite an unprecedented cease-fire by Afghan security forces and the Taliban last month that was largely respected by both sides, UNAMA said.
Hopes that peace may one day be agreed in Afghanistan were raised last month by a three-day truce over the Eid al-fitr holiday which saw unprecedented scenes of Taliban militants mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities.
But with heavy fighting seen across the country during the first half the year and repeated suicide attacks in Kabul and major provincial cities like Jalalabad, the report underlines the dire security situation facing Afghanistan.
It also pointed to increased activity by Daesh terror group, reflected in a doubling in casualties in Nangarhar, the eastern province whose capital is Jalalabad, where the militant group has conducted a series of attacks over recent months.
The main causes of casualties were ground engagements between security forces and militants, roadside bombs, as well as suicide and other socalled complex attacks, which caused 22 percent more casualties than in the same period last year.
Fifty-two percent of the casualties from suicide and complex attacks were attributed to Daesh, while 40 percent were attributed to the Taliban.
AFP and Reuters contributed to this story.