Afghanistan: civilian casualties hit record high with US withdrawal, UN says

CNN –

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached record highs in the first half of 2021, the United Nations warned on Monday, noting that the death toll and wounded rose dramatically from May, when the United States and its allies began to withdraw their troops from the country.

Some 5,183 casualties were recorded in the first six months of the year, an increase of 47% from 2020, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a report.

The number of deaths and injuries recorded in May and June alone was 2,392, almost as high as the total of the previous four months, when 2,791 casualties were recorded.

UNAMA has said 2021 will be the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since its record began, unless urgent action is taken to address violence in the country.

The report added that it was disgusting that nearly half of all the victims were women and children, who have been killed and injured in record numbers this year. Some 32% of the victims were children, while 14% were women with a combined total of 687 dead and 1,722 injured.

The UNAMA report noted that for the first time, no casualties were attributed to international military action, but rather that the fighting had taken on a distinctly Afghan character.

I implore the Taliban and Afghan leaders to heed the dark and frightening trajectory of the conflict and its devastating impact on civilians, said Deborah Lyons, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, in A press release. She added that an unprecedented number of Afghan civilians will perish and be maimed this year if the growing violence is not stopped.

A spokesperson for the Afghan Security and Defense Forces rejected the report’s findings regarding civilian casualties at a press conference on Monday, state broadcaster RTA reported. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also rejected the UNAMA report in a statement on Monday.

The US military withdrawal began in late April, with President Joe Biden declaring it was time to end the Eternal War.

Violence has increased across the country in recent months after the Taliban launched a widespread assault just days after US forces began withdrawing after nearly 20 years in Afghanistan.

Javed Tanveer / AFP / Getty Images

Afghan security officers stand guard along a road during combat between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Kandahar on July 9.

According to the Long War Journal, which tracks territorial control in Afghanistan, by mid-July the Taliban had more than tripled the number of districts they controlled (from 73 to 221) since mid-April.

The US has responded by stepping up US airstrikes in support of Afghan forces in recent days, and a senior US general has said it will continue.

The US military carried out two strikes on Taliban targets on Thursday in support of Afghan forces in Kandahar province, several IS defense officials said. Three of the last four U.S. strikes have targeted captured material, a defense official said, including material transferred to Afghan forces that the Taliban then captured as they advanced across the country.

The United States has stepped up airstrikes in support of Afghan forces over the past few days, and we stand ready to continue this heightened level of support in the weeks to come if the Taliban continue their attacks, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Chief of the US Central Command, told reporters in Kabul on Sunday.

CNN Samantha Beech contributed to this report.

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