UNBlamesAfghanWarforAlmost2,600DeathsThisYear
TheUnitedNationssaysthewarinAfghanistankilledmorethan2,500Afghanciviliansinthefirstninemonthsof2016.
Morethan5,800otherswerewounded.
TheU.N.AssistanceMissioninAfghanistan(UNAMA)releasedthefindingsonWednesday.TheMissionrepeateditscallforallsidesintheAfghanwartopreventharmtocivilians.
Thenumberofciviliancasualtiesrepresentsaonepercentdecreasefromthesameperiodin2015.However,deathsandinjuriesamongAfghanchildrenincreased.
ChildcasualtiesinAfghanistan
AmissionstatementsaidU.N.officialshavebeendeeplyconcernedabouttherisingnumberofchildcasualtiessince2013.Itsaidthatthemissiondocumented639deathsofAfghanchildreninthefirstninemonthsof2016.
Morethan1,800otherswereinjured.
U.N.officialsblamedTaliban-ledanti-governmentforcesforcausing61percentofallciviliandeaths.
TheTalibanruledmostofAfghanistanfrom1996untillate2001,whenitwasoustedfrompower.TheUnitedStatesanditsalliesraidedthecountryaftertheSeptember11,2001al-Qaidaterrorattacks.TheyaccusedtheTalibanofprovidingsheltertoal-QaidaleaderOsamabinLaden.
Fightingagainstrebelforcescausingmostoftheciviliancasualties
TheU.N.reportnotedthatfightingbetweenAfghanforcesandrebelswastheleadingcauseofciviliancasualtiesthisyear.
Othermajorcausesincludesuicideandcomplexrebelattacks,aswellasimprovisedexplosivedevices(IEDs).
Thereportnoteda72percentincreaseinciviliancasualtiesfromairraidsbypro-governmentforcesthisyear.Itsaidthatinternationalmilitaryforceswereresponsibleforonethirdofthoseraids.
Thereweremorethan11,000conflict-relatedciviliancasualtiesin2015.TheAfghanwarhassinceintensified,withTalibanforcesexpandingtheiractivitiestomanymoreprovincesthisyear.
Inall,U.N.officialsestimatethattheAfghanwarhascaused70,000civiliancasualties.Thatissaidtoincludeover25,000deathssincethecountingbegansevenyearsago.
Displacementofciviliansandreturningcivilians
UNofficialsarealsoworriedabouttherisingnumberofAfghanciviliansdisplacedbytheconflict.TheyhavewarnedthatmorethanonemillionAfghanswillbeonthemovebytheendofthisyear.TheysaythatnumberincludestensofthousandsofAfghanrefugeesreturningmostlyfromnearbyPakistan.
TheU.N.estimatesthat400,000Afghanshavereturnedtothecountrysincethestartoftheyear.
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casualty–n.someonewhoisinjuredorkilledinawaroranaccident
improvised–adj.oforrelatedtodoingsomethingwithoutpreparationorbyusingwhateverisavailable
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