Afghan civilian casualties hit record high in first half of 2015: UN

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached a record high in the first half of 2015, according to UN figures released on Wednesday, revealing a fragile security situation six months after the NATO combat mission ended.

Ground combat is causing more deaths and injuries than improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a worrying sign of spreading conflict, the UN said, adding that the conflict was taking a particularly heavy toll on women and children.

The growing insecurity as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support coincides with a faltering peace process, with the Taliban confronting an increasingly bitter power transition.

Total casualties – the combined number of civilians killed and wounded – between January and June increased one per cent compared with the same period last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report. The report said 1,592 civilians were killed, a six-per-cent-fall over last year, while the number of injured jumped four per cent to 3,329. The figures represent an average of nine civilians killed and 18 wounded every day.

The statistics indicate rising violence as the Taliban insurgency spreads north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds.

"The cold statistics of civilian casualties do not adequately capture the horror of violence in Afghanistan, the torn bodies of children, mothers and daughters, sons and fathers," said UNAMA chief Nicholas Haysom. "The statistics in this report do not reveal the grieving families and the loss of shocked communities of ordinary Afghans. These are the real consequences of the conflict in Afghanistan."

UNAMA attributed 70 per cent of civilian casualties to "anti-government elements" including the Taliban.    (AFP)

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