IISS findings indicate sharp increase in civilian causalities in 2015

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) findings shows a sharp rise in civilian causalities in 2015 which is a two-fold increase over the year 2014.

IISS in its recent report has written that the number of Afghan civilians killed and wounded passed 15,000 in 2015 – the highest number recorded since the United States-led invasion more than 14 years ago and  the deadliest year for the Afghan people.

The government consider the main factor of causalities rise is the armed Taliban group; emphasizing that civilians have no value for this group.

“The enemies make the civilians their shields in everywhere and they have no mercy to civilians with their bloody attacks,” Dawa Khan Mina Pal, President’s deputy spokesman said.

Ariananews tried to have the comments of Human Rights Commission regarding the issue but failed to succeed.

Meanwhile, a number of civil activists consider the number of civilian causalities in 2015 terrible.

“We call on the involved parties to left civilians alone. The presented statistic is terrible,” Aziz Rafie, chairman of civil society association said.

Fighting between the parties to the conflict that could not be attributed to one specific party caused 10 per cent of civilian casualties while unattributed explosive remnants of war caused the remaining four per cent.

The 2015 Midyear Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, prepared by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office, documented 4,921 civilian casualties (1,592 deaths and 3,329 injured) in the first half of 2015, a two per cent increase in total civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2014.

Anti-Government Elements continued to cause the most harm despite a slight reduction in total civilian casualties.

Civilian deaths and injuries caused by Pro-Government Forces caused 16 per cent of civilian casualties (15 per cent from Afghan National Security Forces and Pro-Government Militia and one per cent from International Military Forces).

By an estimated 59,000 civilian casualties have been recorded since the UN began tracking the total in 2009.