Over 5,500 civilians killed or wounded in Afghanistan in past four months

The State Ministry for Peace Affairs said on Thursday that 5,587 civilians and 24,609 Taliban have been killed or wounded since the start of the current solar year (in the past four months) across the country.

Based on the new figures, more than 2,500 civilians were killed in clashes between Taliban and ANDSF.

The ministry said the Taliban had carried out 22,000 attacks including suicide attacks, bombings and rocket attacks that killed 2,566 civilians and wounded 3,021 others.

According to the ministry 1,446 out of the 3,021 are men, 650 are women and 925 are children.

“The recent clashes and violence displaced thousands of people in various parts of the county,” said Sayed Abdullah Hashimi, a senior official from the peace affairs ministry.

The State Ministry for Peace Affairs said that 24,609 Taliban members were also killed and wounded in the past four months.

“They recruit people and send them to battlefields to limit casualties of their red unit,” said Hashimi.

Attaurahman Salim, deputy head of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) said that if Taliban seeks an Islamic system they should show a willingness to hold peace talks.

The Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (MoFA) said that Australia has voiced its concerns about the escalation of violence in Afghanistan recently.

On the other hand, Kandahar province said that at least 22,000 families were displaced due to clashes between the Taliban and ANDSF in PD8 of Kandahar city in the last 20 days.

Dost Mohammad Nayab, head of Kandahar refugees and repatriation directorate said that the displaced people need urgent humanitarian assistance.

He called on national and international organizations to help.