CIVCAS Incidents Down in Afghanistan according to UN

According to a United Nations report civilian casualties (CIVCAS) have declined for the first time in six years in Afghanistan. Many reasons were cited for the decline in civilians killed to include less kinetic actions, more Afghan troops doing the fighting, and intense efforts by ISAF to lower the number of civilian casualties. 81 per cent of the civilian casualties were caused by the Taliban. Read more in "U.N. Report Shows Fewer Killings of Afghan Civilians, Suggesting Shift in War", The New York Times, February 19, 2013.

Afghan Civilians Killed by Drone Attacks Rise

A United Nations report says that the number of civilians killed in drone attacks in the Afghan war rose in 2012. Read more in "More Afghan civilians killed by drones in 2012, U.N. says", CBS News, February 19, 2013.

Civilian Deaths Caused by War Rise in Afghanistan

"A United Nations report blaming a record loss of Afghan civilian lives last year on insurgents and the Taliban was dismissed as "untrue" by a Taliban spokesman Saturday. Meanwhile, a commander of the International Security Assistance Force was encouraged by the report's findings that coalition forces were not to blame for the increased casualties, but agreed that civilian deaths must drop. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said 3,021 civilians were killed last year, up from 2,790 the prior year."

Read the rest of the article in "Conflict-related civilian deaths rise in Afghanistan", CNN, February 4, 2012. The commander of ISAF issued a statement saying he was encouraged by reports that ISAF-caused civlian casualties had gone down.  See "U.N. Report on Civilian Casulaties Encourages ISAF Commander", American Forces Press Service, February 6, 2012.  The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has issued a press release - "Civlian Casualties Rise for Fifth Consecutive Year in Afghan Conflict", February 4, 2012.