In the first months of this year, more than 500 civilians died in Afghanistan. Violence even increased after the United States and the Taliban reached an agreement in late February, the UN mission in the country reports.
UN mission UNAMA says there were 1,293 innocent victims in the first quarter: 533 killed and 760 injured. The dead also includes more than 150 children.
It seemed to be going in the right direction with the peace process earlier this year. Then the US and the Taliban made a deal to pave the way for the withdrawal of foreign troops.
The insurgents and the Afghan government would also talk about peace.
However, this consultation is proceeding with difficulty. The Taliban seem to have stepped up their attacks on government forces recently. In addition to the violence, Afghans must also fear the coronavirus.
Dozens of people have already died of this.
The UN says insurgents were responsible for 55 percent of the civilian casualties (282 killed and 428 injured). In addition to the Taliban, the local branch of the Islamic State also made victims.
UN envoy Deborah Lyons tells warring parties that they have a common enemy in the coronavirus. She calls on them to stop violence and negotiate peace.
