Data from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan shows that the country experienced a resurgence in civilian deaths in the first six months of 2021. The toll has been particularly severe since the beginning of May when international forces commenced their final withdrawal at the same time as the Taliban launched a major offensive.
5,183 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in the first half of 2021 compared to 3,518 in 2020 and 3,973 in 2019. The Taliban accounted for 39 percent of civilian casualties in the first six months of 2021, 23 percent were due to the actions of Afghan security forces and a further 16 percent were attributed to undetermined anti-government elements.
