The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has dropped by 30 per cent in the first nine months of this year, the lowest since 2012, the UN mission in the country said in a report on Tuesday.

The report by the UN mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that 2,117 were killed and 3,822 others injured from January 1 to September 30, TOLO News reported.

It said that Anti-Government Elements (AGEs) remain responsible for the majority of civilian casualties (58 per cent).

The report said that the number of civilians killed attributed to the Taliban increased by 6 per cent in the first nine months of 2020.

It added that the overall number of civilian casualties – killed and injured – attributed to the Taliban dropped by 32 per cent.

"High levels of violence continue with a devastating impact on civilians, with Afghanistan remaining among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian," the report said.

"The peace talks will need some time to help deliver peace. But all parties can immediately prioritize discussions and take urgent, and frankly overdue, additional steps to stem the terrible harm to civilians," TOLO News quoted Deborah Lyons, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, as saying in the report.

"New thinking and concrete action towards safeguarding civilian life will not only save thousands of families from suffering and grief but it can also help lessen recriminations and, instead, bolster confidence and trust among negotiators," Lyons, who is also head of UNAMA, added.
(IANS)