KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as 1,366 civilians were killed and 2,446 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first half of this year, a UN mission said on Tuesday.
"While the number of civilians killed and injured is 27 percent down from the same period in 2018, the year that saw record-high numbers of recorded civilian casualties, the UN notes with concern disturbing patterns such as the 27 percent increase in civilian deaths in the second quarter of 2019 compared with the first," UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement citing its mid-year report.
The UN welcomed the reduction in civilian casualties from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year, but continues to regard the level of harm done to civilians as shocking and unacceptable, the statement read.
"UNAMA acknowledges that parties have announced efforts to reduce civilian casualties, but they are insufficient. More must be done," the statement noted.
"Everyone heard the message loud and clear from Afghan delegates in the Doha talks, 'reduce civilian casualties to zero!'" Tadamichi Yamamoto, special UN envoy and head of UNAMA, was quoted in the statement as saying.
"We urge all parties to heed this imperative, to answer the call of Afghans for immediate steps to be taken to reduce the terrible harm being inflicted," he said.
According to the statement, ground fighting and engagements remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, followed by the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mainly in non-suicide attacks.
"Women continue to be disproportionately impacted by the armed conflict in Afghanistan. Up to 30 June 2019, the conflict caused 430 women casualties (144 deaths and 286 injured), a decrease of 22 percent compared to the same period in 2018," the statement said.
During the period, 327 children were also killed and 880 children were wounded and "children continue to comprise the vast majority -- 84 percent -- of all civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war."
The mission has attributed 52 percent of the civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 37 percent to security forces over the period while the rest were unattributed or caused by other reasons.
