By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL
Nearly 5,000 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in the first half of 2015, marking an increase on the previous year.
A U.N. report released in Kabul on Wednesday projected the number of civilian casualties in 2015 to equal or exceed the previous year, which was a record high.
“United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 4,921 civilian causalities – 1,592 deaths and 3,329 injured – in the first half of 2015, a one percent increase in total civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2014,” Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. human rights commission in Afghanistan, said during a press conference in Kabul.
“The vast majority – 90% – of civilian casualties resulted from ground engagements, improvised explosive devices, complex and suicide attacks and targeted killings,” she said, adding that the majority of violence was caused by anti-government groups, like the Taliban.
The report did note however that the amount of violence caused by pro-government groups increased 60 percent.
According to an investigation by local Tolo TV, the first half of the year saw 900 armed attacks by the Taliban.
Since April, the Taliban have intensified their attacks on public targets, including places of worship and culture, civilian government offices and aid workers, as part of a spring offensive.
The government has claimed the Taliban is attempting to use violence to gain leverage in peace talks which began in July for the first time and were scheduled to continue during the summer.
Since U.S.-led foreign troops ended their combat mission at the end of 2014, the Afghan security forces have taken full responsibility for maintaining security and fighting the Taliban.
