In
Afghanistan's deadliest year, battles, not bombs, top killer of
civilians
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[February 18, 2015]
By Kay Johnson
KABUL (Reuters) - Battles between the
Taliban and government forces were responsible for the most Afghan
civilian casualties in 2014, the war’s deadliest year, surpassing
roadside bombs as the leading killer for the first time, the United
Nations said on Wednesday.
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A total of 3,699 Afghan civilians were killed and 6,849 wounded in
the war last year, as fighting intensified in tandem with the sharp
drawdown of U.S. and allied foreign troops who formally ended their
combat role in December after 13 years.
The 22 percent rise in civilian deaths and injuries – the highest
total since the U.N. began keeping records in 2009 - came despite
U.S. generals' assessment that the newly trained Afghan army and
police are winning the war.
"Mortars, IEDs, gunfire and other explosives destroyed human life,
stole limbs and ruined lives at unprecedented levels," said Nicholas
Haysom, the U.N. special representative in Afghanistan.
Ground battles killed 1,092 civilians and accounted for 34 percent
of civilian deaths and injuries, compared to 28 percent caused by
roadside bombs known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Feb/18/images/ads/current/award_shop_bch_013015.png) Assassinations by the Taliban and their allies made up 11 percent of
the overall toll, and insurgent suicide attacks accounted for 15
percent. Explosives left on battlefields caused 4 percent of
casualties and the rest were classified as "other".
The United Nations recorded 511 civilian deaths in December alone as
the Taliban, who were ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition in
2001, launched waves of attacks to coincide with the official end of
the NATO-led combat mission.
The report attributed 72 percent of all civilian deaths and injuries
last year to the Taliban and their allies, who seek to re-establish
radical Islamic rule.
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Government forces were responsible for 14 percent of casualties,
international forces' air strikes accounted for 2 percent and the
fault could not be determined in 10 percent of cases.
The Taliban have in the past strenuously denied being responsible
for the vast majority of civilian deaths, calling the United Nations
biased.
Since the U.N. began tracking civilian casualties in 2009, 17,774
civilian deaths and 29,971 injuries have been recorded.
Afghanistan's national army and police have also suffered record
losses last year, with nearly 5,000 killed.
Since 2001, nearly 3,500 foreign soldiers from 29 countries have
been killed in Afghanistan, including about 2,200 Americans.
Reliable insurgent casualty numbers are not available.
(Reporting by Kay Johnson; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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