UN: Afghanistan has a record number of civilian casualties

Afghanistan has an unprecedented increase in violence after the start of the withdrawal of troops of the international coalition. Almost half of those killed and wounded are women and children, according to a UN report. Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 reached record level, according to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), published on Monday, July 26. The number of killed and injured has risen especially sharply since May, when the troops of the international coalition began to leave Afghanistan and hostilities intensified as a result of the offense of the Islamist radical Taliban movement. The situation could worsen, the UN warned. Without "significant de-escalation of violence," the situation in Afghanistan will lead to the fact that in 2021 the country will be fixed "the highest number of documented civilian casualties for the year" in the history of UNAMA, the report's authors warn. According to the UN, 1,659 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2021. 3,524 people were injured. This is 47 percent more compared to the same period of 2020. Between May and June, 783 people were killed and 1,609 people were injured. This is the highest rate in similar months since UNAMA began documenting casualties in 2009. Half of the victims are women and children "Particularly shocking" in the report is the fact that almost half of the victims are women and children. 468 children and 219 women were killed, 1214 children and 508 women were injured in six months. It also follows from the document that the majority of civilians died from explosive devices, as a result of ground operations or targeted killings. According to the UN, the Taliban are responsible for 39 percent of the victims, and the government army for 25 percent. At the same time, both sides reject the data of the UN report. Thus, a representative of the Afghan army said that the armed forces had left many areas of the country in order to avoid casualties among the civilian population. In turn, the Taliban said in a statement that they did not intentionally harm civilians over the past six months. Withdrawal of international coalition troops from Afghanistan The withdrawal of the international coalition troops from Afghanistan officially began on May 1. In late June, the last of the German armed forces returned home and the nearly 20-year mission was completed. US President Joseph Biden announced on July 8 that American troops would be completely withdrawn from Afghanistan by August 31. According to him, the military have fulfilled all the tasks assigned to them, and the withdrawal of troops is now proceeding "safely and in an orderly manner." The original plan was for the United States to return its soldiers from Afghanistan by September 9. Meanwhile, in May, the Taliban launched an offensive. Since then, the Taliban have taken control of more than 160 of the nearly 400 country's districts, as well as several border crossings and sections of important highways. On July 22, militants said they control about 90 percent of Afghanistan's border.