WorldKABUL (Reuters) - More than 10,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in violence last year, the United Nations said on Thursday, with militant bombings the main cause while air strikes by U.S. and government forces inflicted a rising toll. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/ File photoThe overall civilian toll last year of 3,438 killed and 7,015 wounded was 9 percent lower than the previous year. But the figures highlighted the high number of casualties caused by militant bombs, the United Nations said. “Attacks where anti-government elements deliberately targeted civilians accounted for 27 per cent of the total civilian casualties ... mainly from suicide and complex attacks,” the United Nations said in a statement. The number of child casualties - 861 killed and 2,318 wounded - was 10 percent lower than 2016.

Source: Sunday Times February 15, 2018 06:45 UTC