Afghan security agencies data seen by TOLOnews shows that 2,685 civilians were killed or wounded in five months--from Jan. 21 to June 20--but the figures do not differentiate between those who lost their lives and those who were wounded.

The data is from one month ahead of the Feb. 28 peace deal between the US and the Taliban and four months afterward. It shows that civilian casualties have increased after the signing of the peace deal compared to one month ahead of the agreement.

The data shows that that 351 civilians were killed or wounded between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19, but the casualties increased to 553 between Feb. 20 to March 19.

The figures report 517 civilian casualties between March 20 and April 19, and an increase to 669 from April 20 to May 20.

The data shows that 595 civilians were killed or wounded between May 21 to June 20.

February 11 was the deadliest day for civilians in the last five months, during which 180 civilians were killed and wounded, the data shows.

The month of Hamal (March 2020), casualties among Afghan civilians were as follows: 143 Afghan civilians killed and wounded in the first week of Hamal, 13 killed and wounded in the second week, 94 civilians killed and wounded in the third week and 148 civilians killed and wounded in the fourth week.

The data is similar to a report by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) released on Tuesday that shows 2,953 civilian casualties (1,213 killed and 1,740 wounded).

The rise in civilian casualties and attacks by the Taliban have been sharply criticized by foreign diplomats and critics who say the violence should be reduced to move the peace process forward.

“What we observe is the level of violence which is probably the highest since the beginning of the war, we see probably twenty attacks every week more than the average number of attacks at this season, so it’s terrible and we condemn,” said David Martinon, French ambassador to Kabul.

On May 12, a maternity hospital was attacked that resulted in the killing and wounding of 160 Afghan civilians. March 6, an attack was launched on a political gathering in the same area that killed and wounded 180 civilians. Daesh claimed responsibility for both attacks.

More data seen by TOLOnews shows that the Taliban conducted 5,943 attacks from January 21 to June 20, while Afghan forces--supported by foreign troops--conducted 1,569 operations against the group.

The Taliban has so far not commented on the statistics.

The Taliban released a statement on the completion of 135 days after the peace deal--a milestone in the agreement-- saying the agreement has been “violated” by Afghan and US forces as they have "carried out airstrikes in non-combat areas."

The group welcomed troop reduction by US during the past 135 days but criticizes delay in prisoner exchange.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/govt-data-2685-civilians-casualties-five-months