UN report: 47% increase in civilian casualties in Afghanistan

Casualties among Afghan civilians increased by 47% during the first half of this year, according to a UN report.
A United Nations report published on Monday indicated that the civilian casualties due to the conflict in Afghanistan increased by 47% during the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented the killing of 1,659 civilians and the wounding of 3,254 others in Afghanistan during the first half of the year.
The Mission said that what is of great concern is the significant increase in the number of civilians who were killed and wounded during the months of May and June when the international forces led by the United States of America began withdrawing their forces, and fighting escalated across the country.
According to statistics, 783 civilians were killed and 1,609 others were wounded during the months of May and June, which shows that the highest number of human losses recorded since the UN Mission began documenting losses in 2009.
The United Nations warned that without a “strong mitigation of violence”, Afghanistan this year will record the highest number of documented civilian casualties in a year.