Afghan civilian casualties hit record high in 2016 – UN

KABUL: Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2016 hit their highest recorded level, the UN said Monday, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants—one third of them children—killed or wounded.

Fighting between Afghan security forces and militants, especially in populated areas, remained “the leading cause of civilian casualties” more than two years after NATO’s combat mission ended, said the UN, which began documenting civilian casualties in 2009.