Afghan civilian casualties spike in July

KABUL, Afghanistan — July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in a single month since 2017, the U.N. mission said Saturday.

Its preliminary findings indicate more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded, mainly as a result of a spike in casualties from insurgent attacks. It did not provide a breakdown of deaths and injuries but said the overall number was the highest for a single month since May 2017.

It said more than 50% of casualties were caused by bombings. A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people. An attack on the office of the Afghan president’s running mate last month killed at least 20 people. The target of the attack, former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh, escaped unharmed. No one has claimed either attack.

The Taliban, who effectively control half the country, carry out daily attacks on security forces and government targets that often kill or wound civilians. An Islamic State affiliate also operates in Afghanistan, targeting security forces as well as minority Shiites.

A roadside bomb in the western Herat province killed a district chief and another individual on Saturday, according to police spokesman Farzad Farotan, who said five others were wounded in the blast. In the southern city of Kandahar, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle wounded at least eight civilians, according to provincial police spokesman Jamal Naser Barekzai. No one claimed either attack.