Civilian casualties in Afghanistan at record high: UN

The United Nations has warned that civilian casualties have topped a record high this year in Afghanistan, describing the figure as “alarming and shameful.”

In a report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday, the body recorded 1,601 civilian deaths and another 3,565 injuries in the first six months of 2016.

The figures show a four percent increase in total casualties from the same period the previous year, the report said. It said almost a third of those killed or wounded in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan were children.

Some 1,509 children were among the casualties, the report added.

“Every single casualty documented in this report — people killed while praying, working, studying, fetching water, recovering in hospitals — every civilian casualty represents a failure of commitment,” UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto said.

He said there “should be a call to action for parties to the conflict to take meaningful steps to reduce civilians’ suffering.”