MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The violence and turmoil in Afghanistan has resulted in the highest recorded number of civilian casualties in 2016, with nearly 3,500 overall deaths and an additional almost 8,000 wounded, a UN report revealed Monday.
"Between 1 January and 31 December [2016], UNAMA documented 11,418 civilian casualties (3,498 deaths and 7,920 injured); marking a two per cent decrease in civilian deaths and six per cent increase in civilians injured. These figures amount to a three per cent increase in total civilian casualties compared to 2015," the report said.
Since 2009, the UN found that a total of 24,841 civilians had lost their lives, while 45,347 had been left injured.
In order to prevent the exacerbation of an already dire humanitarian crisis, the UNAMA has called upon all parties in the conflict to note the consequences of their violent actions.
"Unless all parties to the conflict make serious efforts to review and address the consequences of their operations, the levels of civilian casualties, displacement and other types of human suffering are likely to remain at appallingly high levels," UNAMA head Tadamichi Yamamoto said in the report.
Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency. The instability has persisted in the country since the 2001 US-led invasion to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
