UN Report Shows Sharp Increase in Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan, Especially Among Children

— -- Afghanistan has sustained a record number of civilian casualties during the first six months of this year, according to a United Nations report published today.

In addition, almost one-third of the 5,166 civilians killed or maimed in the first half of the year were children, according to the UN report.

The Human Rights team of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded 1,601 civilian deaths and 3,565 civilians injured between January and June of this year, the highest number of casualties within a six month period since record-keeping began in 2009, according to UNAMA. More than 1,500 of these civilian casualties were children, according to UNAMA.

This figure is "conservative" and "almost certainly underestimates" the actual number of civilians harmed, UNAMA said.

Nearly 64,000 civilians have died in Afghanistan since 2009.

“Every single casualty documented in this report – people killed while praying, working, studying, fetching water, recovering in hospitals – every civilian casualty represents a failure of commitment and should be a call to action for parties to the conflict to take meaningful, concrete steps to reduce civilians’ suffering and increase protection,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, said in a statement. “Platitudes not backed by meaningful action ring hollow over time. History and the collective memory of the Afghan people will judge leaders of all parties to this conflict by their actual conduct.”

The report also breaks down the responsible parties for the record number of civilian casualties.

UNAMA wrote that 60 percent of all civilian casualties could be attributed to "Anti-Government Elements (AGE)" which includes "all individuals and armed groups" fighting in opposition with the government of Afghanistan and/or international military forces. This includes "those who identify as 'Taliban,'" according to the report. Twenty-three percent of civilian casualties were a result of "Pro-Government Forces (PGE)." Thirteen percent of casualties were jointly attributed to AGE and PGF and the remaining 4 percent were caused by "unattributed explosive remnants of war," according to the report.

In addition, the report reveals the deliberate targeting of women, as well as the use of children in armed conflict, among other human rights violations.