Afghan Security Forces and their American-led Military Allies have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban have, the United Nations revealed in a report on Tuesday, raising an alarm that ordinary Afghans have been facing the collateral damage of an escalating deadly war since 18 years.
In the first half of the year, the conflict caused nearly 1,400 civilian casualties and injured about 2,400. Afghan military and their allies caused 52 percent of the civilian deaths compared with 39 percent attributable to Taliban militants and Islamic State. The record does not reveal 100 percent as reasons for some deaths could not be completely known.
A large number of civilian deaths caused by Afghan and American forces caused by their major dependence on airstrikes, which are particularly lethal for civilians. The UN said airstrikes caused 363 civilian deaths and 156 civilian injuries.
“While the number of injured decreased, the number of civilians killed more than doubled in comparison to the first six months of 2018, highlighting the lethal character of this tactic,” the United Nations report said, mentioning the airstrikes.
Col. Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for the U.S. military, claimed the “methods and findings” of the UN report, absurd.
“We assess and investigate all credible allegations of noncombatant casualties in this complex environment, whereas others intentionally target public areas, use civilians as human shields and attempt to hide the truth through lies and propaganda,” Colonel Leggett said.
The Afghan government, in its response to the report, highlighted the death toll caused by the Taliban and then insisted on accepting the decisions and strategy its forces made to minimize civilian casualties.
On Wednesday, Afghan officials claimed that at least 28 people had been killed in the western province of Farah when a bus was struck by a roadside bomb, mentioning the point that militants are still killing civilians. At least 10 people were wounded, according to the officials.
The United Nations revealed both sides struggling to increase their warzone leverage amid continuing peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar, between the United States and the Taliban.
The Afghan government has mentioned the deadly Taliban strikes during the first half of the month as a sign that the militants are not willing to commit peace.
While the UN report showed that both sides are effecting civilians in a lethal way, it also found that overall civilian death tolls had dropped by 27 percent compared to last year.
The United Nations report said 83 percent of civilian deaths caused by airstrikes were attributed to “international military forces,” pointing the finger at the U.S. military, the only member of the international coalition in Afghanistan that carries out airstrikes. Whereas the Afghan Air Force was responsible for about 10 percent.
