AIHRC notes spike in civilian deaths amid peace efforts

KABUL: At least 11,000 civilians were killed and wounded in Afghanistan during the 1397 solar year which coincides with March 2018 to March 2019, according to statistics by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), as diplomatic efforts at home and in international level move on to end the 18-year-old conflict. The figures show a 19 percent increase in civilian fatalities compared to a year before, the AIHRC Chairperson Sima Samar said at a press conference on Tuesday. She said that although the number of civilian deaths saw some decrease during last year but added that the number of those sustained injuries during this period has sharply increased.