Iran Press/Asia: Worsening security across Afghanistan has led to 14,000 violations against children in the past four years, including nearly 3,500 killed and 9,000 injured.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the alarming level" of grave violations committed by all sides in the 18-year Afghan war and the fact that children "continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict," the official website of United Nations reported.
Of serious concern, he said, was the nearly 12,600 children verified to have been killed or injured in 2015-2018 representing almost one-third of all civilian casualties in that period.
That was "an increase of 82 percent in child casualties compared with the previous four years," he said.
Guterres wrote in his fourth report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan the rise was traced to "an increase in child casualties resulting from ground engagements, explosive remnants of war and aerial attacks."
The UN chief said he was "extremely concerned, especially by the numbers of children killed and injured as a result of aerial operations conducted by government and pro-government forces."
According to the report, child casualties from airstrikes "have significantly increased since 2015", reversing the downward trend of the four preceding years. 101/211/216
Read more:
A blast killed four and injured 16 in Kabul
Blast shakes west of Kabul, leaves casualties
