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               UN: Afghan Civilian Deaths Rose 25 Percent in 2014

   by VOA News

   The number of Afghan civilians killed by conflict-related violence rose
   by 25 percent last year to the highest level since at least 2009,
   according to a new United Nations report released Wednesday.

   The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the fighting
   killed 3,699 civilians and injured 6,849 others, including a record
   number of deaths among both women and children.

   The report attributed the jump to an increase in ground fighting along
   with the use of mortars, rockets and grenades in populated areas. It
   noted rises in both suicide attacks and those involving improvised
   explosive devices as well.

   Another factor was the withdrawal of international combat troops, who
   turned over full responsibility for Afghanistan's security to the
   country's security forces in 2014.

   The report blamed the Taliban and other insurgents for 72 percent of
   the civilian casualties in 2014, with 14 percent attributed to Afghan
   and international forces.

   "The drawdown of international military forces, in particular the
   reduction of combat air support to Afghan forces' ground troops,
   provided the Taliban and other anti-government armed groups with more
   opportunities to launch large-scale ground operations in some areas,"
   the report said.

   The U.N. said it is "highly likely that civilian casualties will
   continue to rise in 2015," with the current situation suggesting both
   Afghan forces and Taliban fighters want this year to be a turning point
   in the conflict.

   UNAMA called on all parties to take greater steps to prevent civilian
   casualties. It also urged Afghanistan's government to help women whose
   husbands have been killed or injured by the fighting, saying families
   often have to pull children from schools and give their daughters away
   to marriage.

   "For Afghan women and children, the anguish of losing a husband and
   father in the conflict is often only the beginning of their suffering
   and hardship," UNAMA Director of Human Rights Georgette Gagnon said.
   "The long-term social and economic consequences are devastating
   affecting the most vulnerable the hardest."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/un-afghan-civilian-deaths-rose-25-per
   cent-in-2014/2648415.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/un-afghan-civilian-deaths-rose-25-percent-in-2014/2648415.html