The number of Afghan civilians killed in the country's long-running conflict hit a record high in the first six months of 2018. -Reuters
The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan reached a record in the first half of the year, despite last month's ceasefire, with a surge in suicide attacks claimed by Islamic State, the United Nations said on Sunday.
Deaths rose 1 percent to 1,692, although injuries dropped 5 percent to 3,430, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its latest civilian casualty report. Overall civilian casualties were down 3 percent.
Hopes that peace may one day be agreed in Afghanistan were raised last month by a three-day truce over the Eid al-Fitr holiday which saw unprecedented scenes of Taliban fighters mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities.
"The brief ceasefire demonstrated that the fighting can be stopped and that Afghan civilians no longer need to bear the brunt of the war," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the senior UN official in Afghanistan said in a statement.
But with heavy fighting seen across the country during the first half the year and repeated suicide attacks in Kabul and major provincial cities like Jalalabad, the report underlines the dire security situation facing Afghanistan.It also pointed to increased activity by Islamic State, reflected in a doubling in casualties in Nangarhar.
-Reuters, Kabul
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