Past three months in Afghanistan have been the deadliest for civilians in a decade
More civilians have been killed and injured in Afghanistan in the last quarter than during any other three-month period in the past decade, according to a United Nations report released Thursday. The spike in civilian deaths and injuries comes as violence has worsened after talks to end the 18-year war gained steam and suddenly collapsed.
Between July and September, 1,174 civilians were killed and 3,139 were wounded. Those figures bring the total number of civilian casualties (both dead and injured) this year to more than 8,000, according to counts by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. In the previous quarter, 785 civilians were killed and 1,254 were wounded.
The spike comes as both the Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan military have stepped up pressure in recent months. Before President Trump scuttled the talks in early September, both sides were fighting to gain leverage ahead of a deal.
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The United States has significantly ramped up its air campaign against the Taliban and Islamic State in Afghanistan. In September, U.S. aircraft dropped more munitions than in any other month since October 2010. U.S. Air Forces Central Command said its planes released 948 munitions, the figure does not include airstrikes by the Afghan air force.
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