Almost 1,700 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2018. To these must be added more than 3,400 wounded, for a total of over 5,100 victims. The figures — the worst in terms of loss of human life in the past ten years — were released by Unama (the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan), which highlights that 52 per cent of the deaths were caused by attacks claimed by the terrorist organisation Islamic State.

The capital Kabul and the province of Nangarhar the most dangerous places

From 2014 to the present, moreover, the figures for deaths and injuries appear dramatically stable. Despite the three-day ceasefire ordered — and observed — from 15 to 17 June by the main warring forces (the Taliban and the government army), the toll is therefore chilling. Unama, which has published figures on civilian casualties in Afghanistan every six months since 2009, has clarified that the capital Kabul is among the most dangerous areas. But the eastern province of Nangarhar has also been the scene of numerous attacks: here the number of civilian deaths doubled in a year, reaching 304 (along with 607 wounded).

On 30 April, a double suicide attack had killed 25 people and wounded 45 in Kabul. The reporters who had rushed to the scene to gather information about what had happened were also targeted: nine journalists were killed, among them Shah Mirai, head of photography for the Afp agency in the Afghan capital.

Elections in Afghanistan in October: fears of an escalation of violence

The United Nations mission also fears that attacks could multiply in the coming months. In October, the first legislative elections since 2010 are scheduled, and terrorists have already shown their intention to act against them: 117 people were killed and 224 wounded in attacks on voter registration centres, which opened in mid-April.

But according to Unama, the increase in air raids also poses a threat to the civilian population in Afghanistan. The number of deaths caused by air strikes has in fact risen by 52 per cent compared with the same period in 2017. Nevertheless, the United Nations retains hope that a solution can be found: "The brief June ceasefire, however short, proved that overcoming the war is possible," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the special representative of the UN secretary-general, commenting on the report.