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<\/a><\/p>\nIRIN<\/a>–\u00a0Civilian casualties in Afghanistan continue to soar as the country\u2019s security situation deteriorates, according to the latest statistics released by the UN mission.<\/p>\n The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA,\u00a0recorded<\/a>\u00a0more than 8,000 civilian casualties this year from January until the end of September, placing conflict-caused deaths and injuries at near record-high levels. The numbers have trended steadily upward over the last eight years even if the latest data represents a moderate drop from last year\u2019s peak.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n UNAMA attributed roughly two thirds of the casualties to anti-government forces \u2013 mainly the Taliban and self-proclaimed Islamic State groups. Civilian casualties blamed on government-aligned forces dropped by 19 percent over the same time period a year ago. However, deaths and injuries caused by airstrikes continue to rise: the mission documented 466 casualties from aerial attacks \u2014 a 52 percent increase.<\/p>\n The US has escalated airstrikes in Afghanistan under President Donald Trump; the US military launched 751 airstrikes on Taliban and IS targets in September, in what the US Air Force\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0\u201ca record high month for weapons employed in Afghanistan since 2012\u201d.\u00a0But the UN has\u00a0warned<\/a>\u00a0that less political oversight over airstrikes, and Trump\u2019s strategy to increase troops in the country, could usher in \u201ca more volatile landscape\u201d in the months ahead. Airstrikes in late August\u00a0killed<\/a>\u00a0at least 28 civilians in Herat and Logar provinces, according to the UN.<\/p>\n The latest UNAMA figures also show that anti-government forces continue to deliberately target religious figures and places of worship \u2014 particularly minority Shia Muslims. Civilian casualties from such attacks have skyrocketed over the last five years. UNAMA said this amounts to \u201cdisturbing trends of intentional killings\u201d targeting religious leaders and others seen as supporting the government. IRIN\u00a0recently reported<\/a>\u00a0on how moderate imams preaching peace have become targets.<\/p>\n Casualties caused by attacks against religious targets spiked in 2016; the 84 deaths recorded in the first nine months of 2017 are already nearing the mark set for the whole of last year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The enduringly high casualty numbers suggest the Afghan government may be paying a high price for its strategy to concentrate on defending areas with larger populations, while the Taliban makes gains in rural areas seen as less vital.<\/p>\n \u201cThis change has led to an increasing number of clashes for control over lines of communication and vital infrastructure,\u201d UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a September report to the Security Council. \u201cIn addition, the more secure hold of the Taliban over some rural areas has allowed them to undertake more frequent attacks in the north of Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n The Afghan government\u2019s physical control of its own territory has steadily eroded over the last two years. In a 30 July update, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which reports to the US Congress on how American funding is spent, said that less than 60 percent of the country\u2019s 407 districts were under government control or influence. The government had control or influence over 72 percent of its districts as recently as November 2015.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Afghan government’s authority of its own territory has eroded over the past two years. It has control or influence over less than 60 percent of the country’s 407 districts.<\/p>\n Amid the simmering conflict, violence continues to displace Afghan civilians. Conflict has\u00a0forced<\/a>\u00a0some 287,000 Afghans to flee their homes so far this year \u2013 part of a steady increase shown over the last eight years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While insecurity climbs, the national mood in the country is at a record low, according to the Asia Foundation, which conducts annual public opinion surveys in Afghanistan. Almost 70 percent of respondents said they fear for their personal safety \u2013 the highest level in a decade, according to\u00a0the most recent poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Almost 70 percent of Afghans say they fear for their personal safety always, often or sometimes, according to an Asia Foundation survey.<\/p>\nCivilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan
\n<\/span>January to September, 2009 – 2017<\/h1>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCivilian casualties from attacks targeting religious figures and places of worship<\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nDistrict control in Afghanistan<\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nNumber of people displaced in Afghanistan, 2010 – 2017<\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFear for personal safety<\/span><\/h1>\n