GENEVA / KABUL (22 February 2020) - Parties to the conflict in Afghanistan killed and injured more than 10,000 civilians
in 2019, according to a new United Nations report that describes continuing record-high levels of civilian harm in the
ongoing conflict.
The new report documents 3,403 civilians killed and 6,989 injured, with the majority of the civilian casualties
inflicted by anti-government elements. It is the sixth year in a row that the number of civilian casualties has exceeded
10,000.
In addition to continuing record-high levels of harm to civilians, civilian casualty figures for 2019 surpassed a grim
milestone. After more than a decade of systematically documenting the impact of the war on civilians, the UN found that
in 2019 the number of civilian casualties had surpassed 100,000.
“Almost no civilian in Afghanistan has escaped being personally affected in some way by the ongoing violence,” said
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission
in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “It is absolutely imperative for all parties to seize the moment to stop the fighting, as peace
is long overdue; civilian lives must be protected and efforts for peace are underway.”
The figures outlined in the new report – released jointly by UNAMA and the UN Human Rights Office – represent a five per
cent decrease over the previous year, mainly due to a decrease in civilian casualties caused by Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant - Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP). Civilian casualties caused by the other parties increased, particularly by
the Taliban (21 per cent increase) and the international military forces (18 per cent increase), mainly due to an
increase in improvised explosive device attacks and airstrikes.
“All parties to the conflict must comply with the key principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to
prevent civilian casualties,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Belligerents must take
the necessary measures to prevent women, men, boys and girls from being killed by bombs, shells, rockets and improvised
mines; to do otherwise is unacceptable.”
The report calls on all parties to the conflict to conduct prompt, effective and transparent investigations into all
allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, with a view to ensuring
accountability.
ENDS
To read the full report click here: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/AF/ProtectionCiviliansAnnualReport2019.pdf