Civilian deaths in Afghanistan war rise for seventh year

Civilian casualties of the war in Afghanistan rose to record levels for the seventh year in a row in 2015, as violence spread across the country in the wake of the withdrawal of most international troops, the United Nations reported yesterday.

At least 3,545 noncombatants died and another 7,457 were injured by fighting last year in a 4% rise over 2014, the UN said in its annual report on civilian casualties.

“The harm done to civilians is totally unacceptable,” Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.