A total of 8,239 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of 2019, the United Nations said on Thursday.
The number of casualties was higher with the same period last year, when there were 8,050 casualties.
Between 1 January and 30 September of this year, 2,563 civilians were killed while 5,676 others were injured, the report from the United Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.
“Civilian casualties at record-high levels clearly show the need for all parties concerned to pay much more attention to protecting the civilian population, including through a review of conduct during combat operations,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, UN envoy to Afghanistan.
Suicide and non-suicide bomb attacks were the leading cause of civilian casualties, making up 42 percent of the overall total.
Ground clashes were the second leading cause of civilian casualties (29 percent) followed by airstrikes (11 percent).
July witnessed the highest number of Afghan civilian casualties it has ever recorded in a single month: 1,589 civilian casualties (425 deaths and 1,164 injured)
“The harm caused to civilians by the fighting in Afghanistan signals the importance of peace talks leading to a ceasefire and a permanent political settlement to the conflict; there is no other way forward,” said Yamamoto, who is also head of UNAMA. “Civilian casualties are totally unacceptable, especially in the context of the widespread recognition that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.”
Militants were responsible for 62 percent of all civilian casualties (5,117) during the period, according to the report. Pro-government forces caused 2,348 civilian casualties, a 26 percent increase from the same period last year.
The report said that 41 percent of civilian casualties were women (923) and children (2,461).
“The impact of Afghanistan’s conflict on civilians is appalling; every verified number is a person, someone’s relative – mother, father, daughter, son,” said Fiona Frazer, UNAMA’s Human Rights Chief. “The United Nations will continue its advocacy work with all parties to the conflict until Afghanistan reaches the only acceptable number of civilians killed and injured in the conflict: zero.”
