UN agency voices concern over increased child casualties in Afghanistan

The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday voiced concern over the marked rise of child casualties in Afghanistan this year

UNAMA said that 639 Afghan children were killed and 1,822 injured in the first nine months of 2016, up 15 percent compared to the same period in 2015, despite the fact that overall conflict-related civilian casualty numbers in Afghanistan fell by one percent in the same period.

It called for stepped-up efforts to protect civilians in the country, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here on Wednesday.

During the period, nearly 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties, including more than 2,562 deaths and 5,835 injured, were reported in Afghanistan between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 this year, according the latest figures released by UNAMA.

Emphasizing the need to protect children, UNAMA Human Rights Director Danielle Belle said, "All parties must systematically track, mark and clear unexploded ordinance in order to protect current and future generations of children from harm."

The mission also noted a total of 877 women civilian casualties (240 deaths and 637 injured). This number had dropped 12 percent from last year, primarily due to fewer women casualties from suicide and complex attacks, as well as from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

"Ground engagements remained the largest cause of civilian casualties, followed by suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices," the spokesman said.

"Increased fighting in densely populated areas makes it imperative for parties to take immediate steps to ensure all feasible precautions are being taken to spare civilians from harm," the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Tadamichi Yamamoto, said Wednesday in a news release issued by the mission. Endit