AFGHANISTAN
Spike in Afghan civilian casualties
April 15, 2021 - Nearly 1,800 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first three months of 2021, a 29% rise compared with the same period last year. The spike comes as the U.S. is to pull out all its troops by September.
The Kabul-based world body’s office released its quarterly findings ahead of President Joe Biden speech Wednesday about his decision to remove all U.S. troops from the South Asian nation by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan recorded in its report close to 1,800 civilian casualties, including 573 deaths, a 29% increase compared with the same period in 2020.
The report documented 37 percent increase in the number of women killed and injured, and a 23 percent increase in child casualties compared with the first quarter of 2020, it said.