UN reports increase in Afghanistan civilian deaths
July 17, 2017
According to a mid-year report released Monday that includes figures from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 1,662 civilians were killed in the first sixth months of 2017, and 3,581 were injured.
Though the total for civilian casualties was slightly lower than those over the same period in 2016, the two percent increase in the death toll is its highest level since 2014.
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UNAMA has been collecting statistics on the Afghan conflict's toll since 2009. Its numbers include only verifiable incidents, meaning the totals are likely to be conservative estimates.
The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for Afghanistan and UNAMA head Tadamichi Yamamoto described the Afghan conflict's human toll as "far too high."
"The continued use of indiscriminate, disproportionate and illegal improvised explosive devices is particularly appalling and must immediately stop," Yamamoto said in a statement.
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Deaths from anti-government forces
The report said that 40 percent of the civilian lives lost were due to violence from anti-government forces, such as the Taliban and the so-called "Islamic State" (IS), using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or carrying out suicide attacks.
Complex attacks, often highly coordinated and involving more than one perpetrator and two or more types of weapons, increased 15 percent over last year, killing 259 and injuring 892. Many of those causalities came from a single attack in Kabul in late May, when a truck bomb exploded during the busy morning hours killing at least 92 civilians and injuring around 500, UNAMA said. Other estimates put the death toll at over 150 civilians.
Deaths in the Afghan capital alone accounted for 19 percent of the total killed.
The UN report also revealed that the number of women and children casualties has risen due to the use of pressure-plate IEDs and aerial operations in densely populated areas. A total of 174 women have been killed since the start of 2017 and 462 have been injured, while the numbers for children were 436 and 1,141 respectively.
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The toll from Afghan security forces
Civilian causalities from ground operations by Afghan security forces were lower than than those from attacks by anti-government forces. The Afghan forces' efforts to push out IS and Taliban fighters led to 327 civilian deaths and 618 injuries, a 10 percent drop in comparison to last year. Still, the report urged government forces to stop using mortars and rockets and to disband pro-government militias in order to further reduce the toll on civilians.
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In light of the report's release, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, pleaded for the public to look beyond the numbers cited and remember all aspects of the "sheer human tragedy" that is occurring across war-torn Afghanistan.
"Many Afghan civilians are suffering psychological trauma, having lost family and friends, and are living in fear knowing the risks they face as they go about their daily lives," Al Hussein said in statement. "Many more have been forced from their homes and suffered lasting damage to their health, education and livelihoods. The continuing national tragedy of Afghanistan must not be overlooked.”
Since January 2009, UN figures show that more than 25,600 Afghan civilians have died and another 49,000 have been injured.