Record numbers of civilians have been killed and injured in Afghanistan in intense fighting since 1 May, when international forces began their final drawdown and the Taliban launched a major offensive.
Record numbers of civilians have been killed and injured in Afghanistan in intense fighting since 1 May, when international forces began their final drawdown and the Taliban launched a major offensive, said the UN.
The UN said in a report that if the conflict were to spill into more densely populated towns and cities, the consequences could be catastrophic.
The UN published a report titled The Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, which is the first nationwide account of the impact of the fighting on civilians.
The report recorded near-record levels of casualties in the first six months of the year, with insurgent groups responsible for well over half of the deaths and injuries. It also said the “acute rise” in the two months since 1 May is of particular concern. In that period, 783 civilians were killed and 1,609 injured, which is almost the same numbers reached during the first four months of the year, and the highest figures for May and June since the UN began keeping records in 2009.
