Civilian casualties in Afghanistan exceed 10,000 for 6th straight year: UN report

"Almost no civilian in Afghanistan has escaped being personally affected in some way by the ongoing violence," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), was cited as saying.

The report, titled "Afghanistan Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2019," documents 3,403 civilians killed and 6,989 injured, with most of the civilian casualties inflicted by anti-government elements.

It is the sixth year in a row that the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has exceeded 10,000.

The report also said civilian casualty figures for 2019 surpassed a grim milestone.

After more than a decade of systematically documenting the impact of the war on civilians, the UN found that in 2019 the number of civilian casualties had surpassed 100,000.

"It is absolutely imperative for all parties to seize the moment to stop the fighting, as peace is long overdue; civilian lives must be protected and efforts for peace are underway," Yamamoto said.

The figures outlined in the report, released jointly by the UNAMA and the UN Human Rights Office, represent a 5 percent decrease over the previous year, mainly due to a drop in civilian casualties caused by the terrorist group ISIL.

However, civilian casualties caused by the other parties rose, including a 21 percent increase by the Taliban and an 18 percent surge by the international military forces, mainly due to an increase in improvised explosive device attacks and airstrikes.

"All parties to the conflict must comply with the key principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to prevent civilian casualties," Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was cited as saying.

To ensure accountability, the report calls on all conflict parties to conduct prompt, effective and transparent investigations into all allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

"Belligerents must take the necessary measures to prevent women, men, boys and girls from being killed by bombs, shells, rockets and improvised mines; to do otherwise is unacceptable," said the high commissioner.