UN: Afghanistan civilian casualties rise to highest level in five years

The number of civilians killed or wounded in fighting in Afghanistan climbed by 22 percent in 2014 to reach the highest level in five years, the U.N. said in an annual report released Wednesday.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 10,548 civilian casualties in 2014, the most in a single year since the organization started counting in 2009. They include 3,699 civilian deaths, up 25 percent from 2013.

The U.N. said the Taliban and other "anti-government elements" were responsible for 72 percent of all civilian casualties, with government forces and foreign troops responsible for 14 percent.

"Mortars, IEDs, gunfire and other explosives destroyed human life, stole limbs and ruined lives at unprecedented levels," said UNAMA head Nicholas Haysom.

Ground battles killed 1,092 civilians and accounted for 34 percent of civilian deaths and injuries, compared with 28 percent caused by roadside bombs known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Assassinations by the Taliban and their allies made up 11 percent of the overall toll, and suicide attacks accounted for 15 percent. Explosives left on battlefields caused 4 percent of casualties, and the rest were classified as other.

Haysom told journalists on Wednesday that the "Taliban don't actually accept the veracity of the information in the report."  

While the Taliban had no immediate comment, on previous occasions the group blasted similar U.N. reports as “totally biased,” saying it trains fighters to avoid civilian casualties.

The new figures coincide with the end of the 13-year U.S.-led coalition’s combat mission, as well as stepped up attacks by the Taliban.

“Parties to the conflict should understand the impact of their actions and take responsibility for them, uphold the values they claim to defend and make protecting civilians their first priority. We need to see concrete steps and a real drop in civilian casualties in 2015," said Haysom.

Since the U.N. began tracking civilian casualties in 2009, 17,774 civilian deaths and 29,971 injuries have been recorded. Afghanistan's national army and police suffered record losses last year, with nearly 5,000 members killed.

Al Jazeera and wire services