Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit record high of 11,000 in 2015: new UN report

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan passed 11,000 in 2015, the highest recorded since the U.S.-led invasion more than 14 years ago, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said here Monday.

He quoted the latest Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict produced by the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMA) together with the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR).

The report, released earlier Monday, documented more than 11,000 civilian casualties last year, exceeding the previous record level from 2014, Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

"It cites increased ground fighting in and around populated areas, along with suicide and other attacks in major cities, as the main causes of conflict-related civilian deaths and injuries in 2015," he said.

The United Nations said in its annual report released on Sunday that there were 3,545 civilian deaths and 7,457 people wounded with children paying a particularly heavy toll, as Afghan security forces faced a surge in attacks by the Taliban and other armed groups.

The total of 11,002 civilian casualties marked a four percent rise over 2014, the previous record high, the report said, adding that one in four casualties was a child, while one in 10 was female.

Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-general's special representative, called the harm done to civilians "unacceptable" and called on those inflicting this pain on the people of Afghanistan to take concrete action to protect civilians and put a stop to the killing and maiming of civilians in 2016.

Violence has been on the rise since the drawdown of U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces over the past few years as the Afghan army and police struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters. Enditem