UN: July Afghan Casualties Highest Since 2017

Fresh off of the UN releasing a report on the record civilian casualties in the first half of 2019, they have issued a monthly civilian casualty report for July of 2019, saying it was the highest single month of casualties, at more than 1,500, since May 2017.

The UN issued a statement expressing “grave concerns” about the rising casualties, and the Secretary-General’s special representative urged both parties not to ramp up attacks in attempts to get a stronger position during their peace talks.

They faulted both sides for not putting more procedures in place about harm caused to civilians, and calling on both sides to be more honest in public about their civilian casualties caused.

This is clearly a reference to the US objecting to the last report, which noted the US and Afghan government were killing more civilians than the Taliban. The Pentagon claimed to have better metrics than the UN has, though the Pentagon has so far kept their records of civilian casualties totally secret.