UN: Pro-government forces kill more Afghans than armed groups
Written by Millennium on April 24, 2019
Afghan and international forces, including NATO, killed more civilians in the first three months of this year than the Taliban and fighters from other armed groups, a new UN report has said.
According to findings from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released on Wednesday, at least 305 civilians were killed by pro-government forces between January and March, 52.5 percent of all deaths in that period.
“There was a 23 percent decrease in overall civilian casualties as compared to the same period last year and is the lowest for a first quarter since 2013,” the UN report said.
That decrease was due largely to fewer deaths and injuries from suicide improvised explosive devices (IED) attacks, which may have been in part because of a harsh winter.
“It is unclear whether the decrease in civilian casualties was influenced by any measures taken by parties to the conflict to better protect civilians, or by the ongoing talks between parties to the conflict,” the report said.
