Afghan civilian casualties hit record high of 11,000 for 2015

16/02/2016
michael

One in four victims of post-invasion violence was a child

CIVILIANS killed or injured in Afghanistan has risen for the seventh year in a row to a record high since the 2001 invasion.

The annual United Nations report on the war-torn nation identified over 3,500 civilians killed in the ongoing civil war between security forces and the Taliban. Over 7,400 civilians were seriously wounded as a result of the violence.

Fifteen years after the latest invasion of Afghanistan by Western troops, the figures reflect a deteriorating security situation with recent suicide bombing in Kabul contributing to a four per cent increase in civilian casualties on the year before.

Danielle Bell, the UN’s director of human rights in Afghanistan, said: “The report references commitments made by all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, however, the figures documented in 2015 reflect a disconnect between commitments made and the harsh reality on the ground.”

“Unprecedented numbers of children were needlessly killed and injured last year,” she added.

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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has estimated that between 795 and 1,217 people have been killed in confirmed US airstikes on Afghanistan last year.

Last October US forces bombed a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, an attacked described by humanitarian charity Doctors Without Borders as a “war crime” . 22 medical staff and patients were killed.

Political and military figures view the Afghan war as a failure . It was the fourth time British troops had invaded Afghanistan.

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Picture courtesy of swiss.frog