Kabul - Civilian deaths in Afghanistan hit a new high in the first half of 2017 with 1,662 killed and more than 3,500 injured, the United Nations said Monday. Deaths in the capital Kabul accounted for nearly 20 percent of the toll, according to the report by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has been documenting civilian casualties in the war-torn country since 2009. The majority of the victims were killed by anti-government forces - including the Taliban and in attacks claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), the report added. The first six months of the year has seen a significant rise in the number of civilian lives lost in highly coordinated attacks involving more than one perpetrator, with 259 killed and 892 injured - a 15 percent increase on the same period last year.
