More civilians now killed by US, Afghan forces than by insurgents -- UN [View all]
Source: Agence France-Presse
Thomas Watkins 24 Apr 2019 07:24
Afghan civilians are for the first time being killed in greater numbers by United States and pro-government forces than by the Taliban and other insurgent groups, a UN report released on Wednesday revealed.
The bloody milestone comes as the US steps up its air campaign in Afghanistan while pushing for a peace deal with the Taliban, who now control or influence more parts of the country than at any time since they were ousted in 2001.
During the first three months of 2019, international and pro-government forces were responsible for the deaths of 305 civilians, whereas insurgent groups killed 227 people, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a quarterly report.
The majority of the deaths resulted from US air strikes or from search operations on the ground, primarily conducted by US-backed Afghan forces, some of which UNAMA said “appear to act with impunity”.
Read more: https://mg.co.za/article/2019-04-24-more-civilians-now-killed-by-us-afghan-forces-than-by-insurgents-un
= new reply since forum marked as read
