UN: Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan Reach Highest Level Since 2014

The United Nations reports that civilian casualties in Afghanistan remain "very severe" and have reached the highest level since 2014 in the first nine months of this year. According to a new report from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) published on Wednesday, October 10, 2023, from January 1 to the end of September this year, 2,798 civilians were killed and 5,252 were injured in Afghanistan. The number of civilian casualties compared to the same period last year has increased by 21%, and casualties from suicide bombings are 46% higher than last year. Based on the findings of this report, about half of the deaths and injuries were due to the explosion of improvised explosive devices. The second leading cause of civilian casualties was armed clashes between government forces and insurgents, resulting in 605 deaths. Airstrikes by the Afghan government and U.S. forces killed 313 people and injured 336. Approximately 60% of the victims of airstrikes were women and children. According to the UN report, in 2017, civilian casualties were 3,438 killed and 7,015 injured. The UN statistics in this regard are considered cautious as the official registration of each case requires at least three independent sources. Tadamichi Yamamoto, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Kabul, stated: "Given that there is no military solution to ending the war in Afghanistan, the UN reiterates its call for an immediate and peaceful resolution to this crisis."