United Nations, August 01: Noting that there is no decline in civilian casualties in Afghanistan, a UN report has said there has been a record 24 per cent increase in death of civilians in the country in the first six months of the current year as compared to the previous year, during the same period.
As the conflict in Afghanistan intensifies and spreads, it is taking an increasingly heavy toll on civilians, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a mid-year report on the situation of civilians in armed conflict, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said yesterday.
That report, compiled by UNAMAs Human Rights Unit, recorded 1,013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009 – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2008.
–PTI