Afghan War Civilian Casualties Jump 23%, United Nations Reports
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Civilian casualties from Afghanistan’s conflict with Taliban guerrillas jumped by almost a quarter in the first half of this year, according to the United Nations, underscoring the challenges facing local forces now leading security operations.
Violence killed 1,319 civilians and wounded 2,533 up to the end of June, representing a 23 percent increase in overall casualties from the same period in 2012, a report prepared by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today. More than half were caused by the Taliban’s use of improvised explosive devices, it said. In the first six months of last year, 1,158 civilians died and 1,976 were injured.