UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday welcomed a 27 percent reduction in civilian casualties for the first six months of the year, a UN spokesman said.
However, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said UNAMA described the level of harm to civilians as "shocking and unacceptable."
"The conflict in Afghanistan continues to have a devastating impact on civilians, with the latest UN update released today documenting 3,812 civilian casualties in the first half of 2019," Haq said. "UNAMA acknowledges that parties have announced efforts to reduce civilian casualties, but they are insufficient."
While the number of civilians killed and injured is 27 percent down from the same period in 2018, the spokesman said there was a 27 percent increase in civilian deaths in the second quarter of 2019 compared with the first quarter.
The mission attributed 52 percent of all civilian casualties to anti-government elements with 38 percent to the Taliban, 11 percent to the Islamic State (ISIS) or Da'esh Khorasan Province and 3 percent to unidentified groups. It also said 2018 saw record high numbers of recorded civilian casualties.
