ANKARA
Most of the civilian casualties in war-torn Afghanistan in the first half of 2019 were caused by government and international forces, said the UN on Tuesday.
In the same period, civilian casualties attributed to the Taliban and other militant groups fell 43% compared to 2018, according to a new report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
"This was mainly due to a reduction in civilian casualties from suicide IEDs [improvised explosive devices]," said the report.
The report documented 3,812 civilian casualties -- 1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured -- from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2019, down 27% from the same period in 2018.
Underlining that civilian deaths rose 27% in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the first, it added that 1,397 civilian casualties -- 717 deaths and 680 injured -- were caused by Afghan and international forces, also referred to as pro-government forces (PGFs), up 31% from the corresponding period in 2018.
Pro-government forces “caused 37% of all civilian casualties in the first half of 2019," the report said, with 18% of these committed by Afghan national security forces, 12% by international military forces, 2% by pro-government armed groups, and the remainder by undetermined or multiple pro-government forces.
The UN mission acknowledged efforts by concerned parties to reduce civilian casualties, but said they fell short.
"More must be done," the report stressed, voicing support for demands in intra-Afghan peace talks held in Doha, Qatar to lower this number to zero.
It said "ground engagements" between pro-government forces and the Taliban along with other "anti-government forces" caused the most civilian casualties -- one-third of the overall total -- during this period, but down 16% from the first half of 2018.
The use of IEDs, mainly in non-suicide attacks, was the second-leading cause of civilian deaths, representing 28% of the total. "Civilian casualties from aerial operations amounted to 14%," the report added.
"There was a sharp drop in civilian casualties from suicide and complex attacks, particularly by Daesh/ISKP," referring to Daesh’s local branch, it said.
The UN agency urged "anti-government elements" to apply a definition of civilians and civilian objects in line with international humanitarian law, which protects from attack civilians not directly participating in hostilities, including civilian government workers.
The report said aerial operations caused a 39% increase in overall civilian deaths and injuries, recording 519 such cases -- 363 deaths and 156 injured -- including 150 child casualties.
"While the number of injured decreased, the number of civilians killed more than doubled, highlighting the lethal character of this tactic," it said, expressing concern on the rising level of civilian harm as a result of aerial operations, particularly those conducted in support of Afghan forces on the ground and strikes on civilian structures.
It said that 83% of civilian casualties resulted from aerial operations, 9% from the Afghan Air Force, and the remaining 8% by undetermined pro-government forces.
Impact on women and children
The UN mission said that conflict continued to "disproportionately" impact women in Afghanistan.
"Up to 30 June 2019, the conflict caused 430 women casualties (144 deaths and 286 injured), a decrease of 22% compared to the same period in 2018," the report said.
It added that child casualties represented almost one-third of the overall total of civilian casualties, with 327 deaths and 880 injured.
"Children continue to comprise the vast majority -- 84% -- of all civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war," it noted.
"Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics," said Richard Bennett, the mission’s human rights chief.
"The fact remains that only a determined effort to avoid civilian harm, not just by abiding by international humanitarian law but also by reducing the intensity of the fighting, will decrease the suffering of civilian Afghans," it added.
