Summary:
Estimates of the number of civilians killed vary widely and must be treated with caution. Systematic collection of civilian fatality data only began in 2007. The United Nations is creating a civilian casualty database, but is not publicly accessible. Periodic updates can be found in Reports of the Secretary-General on peace and security in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) is also collecting data, but the efforts of both agencies are hampered by insecurity and a lack of resources. As a result, figures released by these agencies likely represent a substantial undercount.
For more information, see also the Monitor's posts on civilian casualties, airstrikes and human rights.
Last updated: August 2010Latest estimate:
- "The human cost of the armed conflict in Afghanistan is escalating in 2010. In the first six months of the year civilian casualties – including deaths and injuries of civilians - increased by 31 per cent over the same period in 2009. Three quarters of all civilian casualties were linked to Anti-Government Elements (AGEs), an increase of 53 per cent from 2009. At the same time, civilian casualties attributed to Pro-Government Forces (PGF) decreased by 30 per cent compared to the first half of 2009. Between 01 January and 30 June 2010, UNAMA HR documented 3,268 civilian casualties including 1,271 deaths and 1,997 injuries. AGEs were responsible for the deaths and injuries of 2,477 civilians or 76 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties for this period. Suicide and IED attacks caused the most civilian casualties attributed to AGEs including 557 deaths (61 per cent of civilian deaths attributed to AGEs) and 1,137 injuries (73 per cent of civilian injuries attributed to AGEs)." Afghanistan Mid Year Report 2010 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, August 2010
- "Almost six civilian people were killed and eight were wounded each day in conflict related incidents from 1 January to 30 June 2010, Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said today in amid‐year report on civilian casualties of war. In total, at least 1,074 civilians were killed and over 1,500 were injured in armed violence in the first half of this year; which indicates a slight – 1.3% ‐ increase in the reported number of civilian casualties of war compared to the same period last year. Over 60% of the recorded civilian deaths (661 individuals) are attributed to insurgent groups who showed little or no respect to the safety and protection of non‐combatants." ARM Mid-Year Report Civilian Casualties of Conflict January-June 2010, Afghanistan Rights Monitor, July 2010
- "Humanitarian agencies are seeing promising signs of regaining space and acceptance from Taliban insurgents while attacks against NGO workers have reduced significantly over the past six months. Up to 1,200 security incidents were recorded in June - more than in any month since the fall of the Taliban - but attacks on NGOs by armed opposition groups in the first half of 2010 were 35 percent lower than in 2008-2009, according to the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO)." ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.1 2010), The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office, April 2010
- "UNAMA documented 395 conflict-related civilian casualties between April and June 2010, a decrease of 1 per cent from the same period in 2009. Anti-government elements remain responsible for the largest proportion of civilian casualties, which rose to 70 per cent from 67 per cent during the past reporting period. In the majority of incidents, anti-Government elements targeted a broad range of civilians with assassinations, abductions and executions." Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 40 of resolution 1917 (2010) (S/2010/318), United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), June 2010
Data summaries:
- Afghanistan Mid Year Report 2010 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, August 2010
- Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, Congressional Research Service, June 2010
- Afghan civilian deaths, total 2007-2009, The Guardian, November 2009
- How the Afghanistan civilian deaths break down, total 2008-2009, The Guardian, November 2009
The Guardian data: Download the full datasheet with details going back to 2006
Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO)
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.2 2010), July 2010
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.1 2010), April 2010
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.4 2009), December 2009
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.3 2009), September 2009
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.2 2009), July 2009
- ANSO Quarterly Data Report (Q.1 2009), April 2009
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)
- Attacks on civilians and civilian objects are against human rights and Islamic principles, February 2010
- AIHRC Press release on latest findings about civilian casualties in Balabalook district of Farah province, May 2009
- Insurgent Abuses against Afghan Civilians, December 2008
- Abuses against civilians by parties to the conflict, December 2008
- At least 155 civilians killed by fighting, terrorism in September: AIHRC, October 2007
- Afghan Human Rights Watchdog to Track Civilian Casualties, September 2007
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Afghanistan: Investigate any newly disclosed civilian casualty incidents, July 2010
- US should act to end bombing tragedies, May 2009
- US investigation of airstrike deaths "deeply flawed", January 2009
- Civilian deaths from airstrikes, September 2008
- "Troops in Contact": Airstrikes and civilian deaths in Afghanistan, September 2008
- The Human Cost: The consequences of insurgent attacks in Afghanistan , April 2007
- US should investigate civilian deaths, March 2007
United Nations | United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA)
2010
- Afghanistan Mid Year Report 2010 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, August 2010
- Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2009, United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, January 2010
2009
- Afghanistan: Mid Year Bulletin on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2009 United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, July 2009
- Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 2008, United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, February 2009
2008
- "The trend in insurgency tactics observed in 2007 — from armed clashes with security forces to attacks of an asymmetric nature — continued and became more pronounced in 2008, leading to a sharp increase in the number of civilian casualties. Of the more than 3,800 lives lost in insurgency-related violence by the end of July, over one third were civilians." The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security (A/63/372-S/2008/617), United Nations Report of the Secretary General, September 2008
- Armed Conflict and Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan
Trends and Developments 1 January – 31 August 2008, UNAMA, September 2008
- Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, on Reports of Civilian Casualties in Western Afghanistan, UNAMA, August 2008
- "Of over 8,000 conflict-related fatalities in 2007, over 1,500 were civilians." Report of the Secretary-General (A/62/722- S/2008/159) March 2008
2007
- Over 1,000 Afghan Civilians Killed Since April: Interior Ministry, August 2007
- "Over 1,000 civilian deaths from January to 31 August 2007." New U.N. Report Highlights Widespread Corruption, Insecurity, September 2007
- Rate of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan 'Alarming': UN, November 2007
Government of Canada, Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
- "Getting figures for the number of Afghan civilian casualties is difficult. It is conceivable that some Afghan families don't report deaths for fear of reprisals, or because there simply isn't a system of recording these kinds of casualties in more remote areas. Nevertheless, the Government of Canada should make every effort to prepare these kinds of estimates on a regular basis, and to be open about how the information is collected, and how reliable it is likely to be." How Are We Doing in Afghanistan? Canadians Need to Know, June 2008
Further reading
- The Effect of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, The National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2010
- Addressing Civilian Harm in Afghanistan, Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, April 2010
- Country Indicators for Foreign Policy: Fragile States Country Report: Afghanistan, Carleton University, March 2009
- Civilians and the International Security Strategy, Action Aid // Afghan AID // CARE Afghanistan et al, April 2009
Media Reports
2010
- IEDs Kill More Civilian Afghans in 2010, USA Today, 5 August 2010
- NATO strikes killing more Afghan civilians, USA Today, 15 April 2010
- UN urges steps to prevent child deaths in conflict, UN News Centre, 24 February 2010
- 2009 worst year for Afghan children: ARM, IRIN News, 6 January 2010
- Afghanistan: Dip in civilian deaths in first two months of 2010, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), March 2010
2009
- UN: 2,100 civilians killed in 2008, Reuters, 3 February 2009
- NATO-led troops killed around 100 civilians in 2008, China View, 28 January 2009
- Afghan unrest killed 4,000 civilians in 2008: Report, AFP, 21 January 2009
2008
- UN chief in Afghanistan: Protect civilians, The Associated Press, 17 December 2008
- Afghanistan: Civilian casualties from anti-insurgency conflict mount, IRIN News, 25 August 2008
- Alarm over Afghan civilian deaths, BBC News, 9 July 2008
Death estimates: 2008: ~900 - Stephen Graham, Afghan civilian deaths up 60 per cent, The Globe and Mail, 29 June 2008
- Afghanistan: Civilians suffer the brunt of rising suicide attacks, Amnesty International, 5 June 2008
- Paul Koring, The ugly truth in Afghanistan, The Globe and Mail, 1 March 2008
Death estimates: 2007: ~6,500; 2006: ~4,000; 2005: ~1,000
2007
- Aryn Baker, Backlash from Afghan civilian deaths, TIME Magazine, 23 June 2007
- Carlota Gall and David E. Sanger, Afghan civilian deaths damaging NATO, International Herald Tribune, 13 May 2007
Scholars
- Chernus, Ira (Centre for Research on Globalization / University of Colorado)
- Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan: No Coincidence, September 2007
- Herold, Marc (University of New Hampshire)
