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KABUL (SW): Ragging violence in Afghanistan killed and wounded over 10,000 people last year, with a dreadful rise in casualties of women and children, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office noted on Thursday.
The UNAMA documented that, in 2017, 359 women were killed – a rise of five per cent – and 865 injured. Child casualties – 861 killed and 2,318 injured – decreased by 10 per cent compared with 2016. Overall, more than 10,000 civilian casualties – 3,438 people killed and 7,015 injured – were documented in 2017.
The UN Mission has been documenting civilian casualties in Afghanistan since 2009, and has so far confirmed a massive total of 28428 in the bloody Afghan conflict. “The chilling statistics in this report provide credible data about the war’s impact, but the figures alone cannot capture the appalling human suffering inflicted on ordinary people, especially women and children,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.
Yamamoto, who also heads UNAMA, expressed deep concern at the increased harm to civilians caused by suicide attacks. “I am particularly appalled by the continued indiscriminate and unlawful use of IEDs such as suicide bombs and pressure-plate devices in civilian populated areas. This is shameful,” he said.
The report attributes close to two-thirds of all casualties (65 per cent) to anti-government elements: 42 per cent to the Taliban, 10 per cent to Daesh / Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP), and 13 per cent to undetermined and other anti-government elements. Pro-Government Forces caused a fifth of civilian casualties: 16 per cent were attributed to the Afghan national security forces, two per cent to international military forces, one per cent each to pro-Government armed groups and undetermined pro-Government forces. Unattributed cross-fire during ground engagements between anti-government elements and pro-government forces caused 11 per cent of civilian casualties.
ENDS
