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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 18 OctOber 2019
UN: Afghan insurgents responsible for most 2019 casualties

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Assistance Mission in Af-
Afghan civilians are dying ghanistan's Human Rights
in record numbers in the Chief. "The United Nations
country's increasingly bru- will continue its advocacy
tal war, noting that more work with all parties to the
civilians died in July than conflict until Afghanistan
in any previous one-month reaches the only accept-
period since the U.N. be- able number of civilians
gan keeping statistics, ac- killed and injured in the
cording to a U.N. report re- conflict: zero."
leased Thursday. Efforts have been stepped
The report also said that for up to restart talks to end Af-
the first time this year insur- ghanistan's 18-year war.
gents were responsible for Earlier this month, U.S.
more casualties than U.S. peace envoy Zalmay
and pro-government forc- Khalilzad visited Pakistan,
es. where he met with the Tal-
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the iban's top negotiator, Mul-
U.N. secretary-general's lah Abdul Ghani Baradar,
special representative for a co-founder of the hard-
Afghanistan, said neither line Taliban movement and
side is doing enough to head of a Taliban delega-
protect civilians. Newly graduated Afghan National Army march during their graduation ceremony after a three tion to the Pakistani capital.
The report said 2,563 civil- month training program at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 13, The Taliban said they were
ians were killed and 5,676 2019. in Islamabad to discuss the
were wounded in the first Associated Press condition of roughly 1.5 mil-
nine months of this year. In- lion Afghan refugees living
surgents were responsible review of conduct during pro-government forces women and children. In the in the city. U.S. officials said
for 62 percent. July to Sep- combat operations," said caused 2,348 civilian casu- first nine months this year, Khalilzad was in the Paki-
tember were the deadliest Yamamoto. alties, including 1,149 killed a total of 261 women and stani capital to follow up on
months so far this year. "Civilian casualties are to- and 1,199 wounded, a 26% 631 children were killed. talks he held in September
"Civilian casualties at re- tally unacceptable, espe- increase from the same pe- "The impact of Afghani- in New York with Pakistani
cord-high levels clearly cially in the context of the riod in 2018. stan's conflict on civilians officials, including Prime
show the need for all par- widespread recognition Besides detailing civilian is appalling; every verified Minister Imran Khan.
ties concerned to pay that there can be no mili- casualties and their causes, number is a person, some- They insisted Khalilzad was
much more attention to tary solution to the conflict U.N.'s latest report indicates one's relative - mother, not in Pakistan to restart
protecting the civilian pop- in Afghanistan" he added. that 41% of all civilian casu- father, daughter, son," U.S.-Taliban peace talks __
ulation, including through a The U.N. report said that alties in Afghanistan were said Fiona Frazer, the U.N. at least not yet.q
Iraqi blogger outspoken

about country's

corruption detained

BAGHDAD (AP) — Masked said Shujaa al-Khafaji had
security agents stormed received threats from un-
the apartment of a promi- known people in recent
nent Iraqi blogger in Bagh- days warning him not to
dad early Thursday and publish posts about the
detained him, apparently protests.
over his coverage of anti- Al-Khafaji, 29, runs a popu-
government protests, a lar Facebook page called
member of his family said. "Brothers Iraq" that fo-
For about a week starting cuses on human rights
Oct. 1, Iraq witnessed pro- violations. On Tuesday the
tests by young Iraqis de- page, which has 2.1 million
manding jobs, electricity likes, posted a video that
and clean water — and an showed what it said were
end to corruption. Secu- people setting a check-
rity forces retaliated with point on fire after the pro-
live fire, killing more than testers had left. It blamed
100 people and wounding government supporters for
thousands in protests that the fire.
spread mostly in Baghdad Prominent Shiite cleric
and pre-dominantly Shi- Muqtada al-Sadr tweet-
ite regions in the country's ed after the arrest that he
south. is opposed to silencing
The family member, who people, adding that those
spoke on condition of ano- behind it should be held
nymity for fear of reprisals, accountable.q