Extreme harm
to Afghan civilians continues as suicide attacks worsen, new UN report shows
GENEVA/KABUL
(17 July 2017) – The numbers of civilians killed and injured in the conflict in
Afghanistan in the first six months of 2017 persisted at the same record high
levels as last year, according to a mid-year report from the United Nations.
Extreme civilian harm continued amid a worsening toll of suicide attacks, and a
greater impact on women and children.
A total of
1,662 civilian deaths were confirmed between 1 January and 30 June – an
increase of two per cent on the same period last year, according to figures
from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The number of civilians injured in the same period
fell one per cent to 3,581.
The reports
highlights that 40 per cent of all civilian casualties during the six-month
period were killed or injured by anti-government forces using improvised
explosive devices (IEDs), such as suicide bombs and pressure-plate devices, and
killed 596 civilians and injured 1,483.
These figures include civilian casualties from suicide and complex
attacks, (attacks including more than one perpetrator and two or more forms of
weaponry, including suicide IEDs), which killed 259 civilians and injured 892,
a 15 per cent increase on comparable figures for the first six months of
2016.
Many of those
casualties occurred in a single attack in Kabul city on 31 May, when truck bomb
killed at least 92 civilians died and injured nearly 500, the deadliest
incident documented by UNAMA since 2001.
“The human
cost of this ugly war in Afghanistan – loss of life, destruction and immense
suffering – is too far too high,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Tadamichi Yamamoto. “The continued use of indiscriminate,
disproportionate and illegal IED devices by Anti-Government Elements is
particularly appalling and must immediately stop.”
The report
makes a series of recommendations, including calling on anti-government forces
to stop targeting civilians and to enforce directives from the Taliban leadership
calling for an end to such attacks.
Government
forces are urged to stop using weapons including mortars and rockets in
civilian populated areas, and to disband pro-government militias and similar
groups. The report also recommends
ongoing support from international military forces to support and train the
Afghan national army.
UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said: “The statistics in
this report, horrifying though they are, can never fully convey the sheer human
suffering of the people of Afghanistan.
Each one of these casualty figures reflects a broken family,
unimaginable trauma and suffering, and the brutal violation of people’s human
rights.
“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. 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.”
The figures
show a rise in the number of women and children killed and injured, reversing a
decline documented in 2016. A total of
174 women were confirmed as killed and 462 injured, an overall rise in casualty
figures of 23 per cent on the same period last year.
Child
casualties increased by one per cent, with 436 deaths and 1,141 injuries,
although the number of deaths was up by nine per cent. UNAMA noted that the use of pressure-plate
IEDs and aerial operations in civilian-populated areas substantially
contributed to the increases in both women and child casualties.
Anti-government
forces caused the deaths of 1,141 people and for injuring 2,348, a 12 per cent
increase on the first six months of last year.
Of the total number of civilian casualties, 43 per cent were attributed
to the Taliban, four per cent to Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), and
the rest to unidentified attackers.
The report
commends Afghan security forces for their continued efforts to reduce civilian
casualties resulting from ground engagements, which represent the second
leading cause of deaths and injuries.
The figures demonstrate a 10 per cent reduction in civilian casualties
from ground engagements the first six months of 2017 compared to the same
period last year, with 434 confirmed deaths and 1,375 injuries. The decrease is
attributed to a reduction in casualties caused by weapons, mostly mortars, used
by pro-government forces.
UNAMA
attributed a total of 327 civilian deaths and 618 injuries to pro-government
forces, a 21 per cent decrease compared with the same period last year,
although UNAMA noted a 43 per cent rise in civilian casualties during aerial
operations (95 deaths and 137 injuries).
Nineteen per
cent of the casualties occurred in the capital, Kabul, as a result of suicide
and complex attacks. Civilian casualties
increased in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mainly due to increased attacks
by anti-government forces. The highest numbers of casualties occurred in Kabul,
Helmand, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Uruzgan, Faryab, Herat, Laghman, Kunduz and Farah
provinces.
The UN report
includes only incidents which have been confirmed after a thorough verification
process. This strict documentation
process, which requires multiple steps of confirmation in each case, means that
the overall figures are probably conservative.
Since January
2009, UN figures show that more than 26,500 civilians have died and just under
49,000 have been injured.
ENDS
The report,
key graphs, and Dari and Pashto translations available at
https://unama.unmissions.org/protection-of-civilians-reports
For more
information and media requests, please contact Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767
/ rcolville@ohchr.org) or Liz Throssell
( +41 22 917 9466/ ethrossell@ohchr.org )
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