Afghanistan civilian deaths hit record high

A U.N. report released Monday showed that the number of civilians killed in the war in Afghanistan reached a new high during the first six months of 2017. The report cites a total of 1,662 civilian deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30, marking a 2 percent increase since last year’s record high. Meanwhile, the number of injured civilians declined by 1 percent. The report noted that women and children were especially impacted by the war’s heightened violence, with an estimated 174 women killed and 462 injured in the Afghan conflict, marking a 23 percent increase in female casualties from the previous year. In addition to these victims, another 436 children were killed.

Andrew Quilty / New York Times An injured man is taken to an ambulance near the site of a truck bombing that exploded near the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul in May. The long war in Afghanistan continues to set records for civilian casualties.