27 pc reduction in civilian casualties in Afghanistan: UN

United Nations on Tuesday said that in Afghanistan there is 27 per cent reduction in civilian casualties in the first half of 2019 as compared to the same period last year.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in its mid-year report has documented 3,812 casualties (1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured) in the war-torn nation, reported Tolo News.

The anti-government element continued to cause majority of civilian casualties. Taliban is responsible for 38 per cent of fatalities.

However, pro-government forces caused 1,397 casualties from January 1 to June 30, a 31 per cent increase from the corresponding period in 2018. The reports said that ground engagements remained the leading cause of the civilian casualties, causing one-third of the overall total casualties.

The report contended that there is a sharp drop in casualties from suicide and complex attacks.

During the same period, the women casualties have also declined by 22 per cent.

The report stated that children comprised the 84 per cent of the casualties by from explosive remnants of war.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has partially rejected a UNAMA's report on civilian casualties during the first half of the current year in Afghanistan.