'Over 2,000 Civilians Killed in First 10 Months of 2009', IRIN News, 12 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Armed conflict in Afghanistan claimed the lives of over 2,000 civilians from January to October 2009, and the numbers are rising, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 'In the first 10 months of 2009, UNAMA recorded 2,021 civilian deaths, compared with 1,838 for the same period in 2008, and 1,275 in 2007,' Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner on human rights, said in a statement sent to the UN Security Council on 11 November by her deputy, Kyung-wha Kang. Civilians have increasingly been caught in the cross-fire and their basic human rights such as access to health, education, food and shelter have been violated by the warring parties, the statement said. More civilians have died in attacks by Taliban insurgents than by aerial strikes and military operations by pro-government Afghan and international forces: According to UNAMA, 1,397 were killed by anti-government elements, 465 by pro-government forces and 165 by other actors. August was the deadliest month for Afghan civilians, with 294 reported deaths, UNAMA said."
Read the full article.
Related articles:
'Civilians in armed conflict: "Same standards of international law should be enforced," Pillay tells UNSC', United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 11 November 2009
'Secretary-General's remarks at open debate of the Security Council on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', United Nations, 11 November 2009
Related posts:
'Afghanistan's security environment', 9 November 2009
'Eight NGO staff killed and six injured in past three months', 16 October 2009
'1013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009', 31 July 2009
'Terrorism kills more civilians than military action', 13 July 2009
'UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent', 17 February 2009
