Monday, June 30, 2008

UN official: Afghan civilian deaths up 60 percent

UN official: Afghan civilian deaths up 60 percent in first half of 2008

Staff
AP News, Jun 29, 2008 10:10 EST

A senior U.N. official says the number of civilians killed in fighting in Afghanistan has soared by nearly two-thirds.

The top U.N. humanitarian official, John Holmes, said Sunday that the world body has recorded 698 civilian deaths for the first half of this year, compared to 430 in the first six months of 2007.

Holmes said militants caused most of the civilian casualties this year and that the figures reflected efforts by foreign troops to reduce civilian deaths in military operations.

Source: AP News

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