Civilian casualties in Afghanistan surged in 2014, U.N. says
More than 10,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghanistan conflict in 2014, the United Nations reported Wednesday, the highest toll since the world body began counting casualties in 2009.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 3,699 civilian deaths and 6,849 injuries, a 22% increase in total casualties from 2013 as Afghan security forces took full control of the countrys security.
For the first time, U.N. figures showed that ground combat was the leading cause of deaths and injuries among noncombatants, surpassing casualties from bombs and underscoring the changing nature of the war as U.S.-led coalition forces reduce their presence.
The report also illustrated the conflict's growing toll on women and children. With 298 killed and 611 injured, female casualty rates increased 21%. Casualties among children rose 40%, with 714 killed and 1,760 injured, the U.N. said.
The thousands of Afghan children, women and men killed and injured in 2014 attest to failures to protect civilians from harm, Nicholas Haysom, the top U.N. official in Kabul, said in a statement.
The 2014 data confirmed earlier U.N. projections that the final year of the U.S.-led international combat mission would probably be Afghanistans deadliest. Coalition forces have been reduced to about 13,000 troops, including about 10,000 Americans, who are focused on training and advising Afghan soldiers and police officers, though U.S. forces are still authorized to conduct ground counter-terrorism operations and airstrikes.
As in years past, the vast majority of the casualties were attributed to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, who were found to be responsible for 72% of the documented cases.
The 54% increase in casualties from ground combat nationwide has led to overcrowding in health facilities, including the Nangarhar Regional Hospital in the eastern city of Jalalabad, which treats members of the Afghan National Security Forces and civilians, hospital officials said.
The hospital, which lacks a dedicated facility for treating security forces, has seen its thin resources further stretched by the constant arrivals of patients from neighboring provinces. Said Afandi, the hospitals head of training, said more than 60% of patients come from outside Nangarhar province.
Were a regional hospital, but our facilities, even in terms of physical space, are not enough to meet the needs of so many people, Afandi said.
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Civilian casualties in Afghanistan surged in 2014, U.N. says