# Latest stats:  most civvie cas caused by Taliban



## The Bread Guy (29 Dec 2009)

This, from the Canadian Press - highlights mine:


> The insurgent war has taken a devastating toll on Afghan civilians this year, but *the proportion of deaths caused by the international military coalition declined*, latest United Nations figures show.
> 
> The numbers suggest efforts by coalition forces to minimize non-combatant casualties - a key Taliban propaganda tool - are paying off.
> 
> ...


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## Journeyman (29 Dec 2009)

If there's absolutely no indication in the UN report that Canadians were remotely involved in any of these civilian casualties, is it "balanced" to phrase it as:


> It was not _immediately clear_ if Canadian forces were responsible for any of the deaths.


Personally, I have absolutely no evidence whatsoever, but it's not _immediately clear_ that the reporter, Colin Perkel, doesn't sodomize sheep.   :


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## The Bread Guy (5 Jan 2010)

English attached as PDF - other languages available here.

My fave excerpt that isn't likely toi make it into MSM:


> .... UNAMA recorded 784 conflict-related civilian casualties between August and October 2009, up 12 per cent from the same period in 2008. Anti-Government elements remain responsible for the largest proportion of civilian casualties (78 per cent of the total), of whom 54 per cent were victims of suicide and improvised explosive device attacks. The increased reliance of anti-Government elements on improvised explosive device attacks has demonstrated an apparent disregard for the loss of civilian life. However, it is encouraging to see that certain positive steps have continued to be taken by the Government and its international military partners to reduce the impact of military operations on the civilian population ....



More, from the UN News Centre:


> .... Mr. Ban notes the insurgents’ intimidation and threats against civilians to discourage them from participating in the elections, targeting community leaders and clerics in particular, as well as slightly increased attacks against the aid community, a nearly daily occurrence. On average nine people were assassinated per week in the third quarter, one of whom on average was a community leader.
> 
> “The continuing high rate of direct intimidation of national staff working for the aid community, including the United Nations, continued to pose obstacles to programme delivery,” he writes. Following the 28 October attack by the Taliban on a guest house in Kabul where UN staff resided, killing five and wounding five more, some 340 UN international personnel have temporarily been relocated outside of Afghanistan ....


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## The Bread Guy (7 Jan 2010)

Well, if the TALIBAN says it's not true, it must not be, right?

"Response of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Banki Moon Assertions About Civilian Casualties" - PDF of statement at non-terrorist site here



> .... Bank Moon should once sneak a look at  the Pentagon  to see that two departments under the name of Psychological Warfare and Lies Fabrication Department are now part and parcel of the official organizational set-up of the ministry. The Psychological Warfare Department teaches troops to kill civilians in order to create shock and awe in their hearts  so they submit to  the troops without demur. Whereas the Department of Lies Fabrication instructs the soldiers  to spread lies against the enemy in media and among the people so that they  distance themselves from the enemy and nurture hatred against them.   There is the secret of victory in doing so, it maintains.
> 
> It is a matter of pondering whether Mr. Banki Moon is acting intentionally or unintentionally in favor of the above-mentioned departments. This is because he, sometimes, gives expression to words which does not suit his position and neutral status ....


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## The Bread Guy (12 Jul 2010)

From the attached report:


> .... Insurgent fighters and their associate militias killed at least three civilian people everyday from 1 January to 30 June 2010. In total insurgent groups are blamed for 661 civilian deaths in the reporting period.  The insurgents are clearly aware that at least two of their widely used warring activities - IED and suicide attacks - inflict heavy harms on noncombatants. However, they have brazenly disregarded calls to stop using indiscriminate IED and suicide attacks; show respect to civilian protection; and respect international humanitarian laws and other war laws .... Unsurprisingly, the number of civilian people killed by the insurgents was significantly higher than those killed by pro-government Afghan and foreign forces. ARM’s figures attribute 661 civilian deaths to the insurgents who have been accused of showing little or no respect to the safety and protection of non-combatants in their armed rebellion against the government and its foreign supporters. The indiscriminate and widespread use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) caused more deaths and miseries to Afghan civilians than any other fighting tactic. IEDs killed over 280 people, wounded over 490 and blocked communities’ access to essential health, education and livelihood services.  Suicide attacks were the second most deadly fighting incidents in which 127 noncombatants were killed in the first half of 2010. The June 9th purported1 suicide attack during a wedding ceremony in the Arghandab District in Kandahar Province, was the deadliest incident in the first six months of this year in which dozens of civilians, many of them children and women, were killed and wounded ....


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## ettibebs (12 Jul 2010)

<sarcasm> I'm shock!!! What a surprise!</sarcasm>


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## vonGarvin (12 Jul 2010)

But it's still NATO's fault.  I mean, if we weren't there, they wouldn't have to kill so many.  Just as 9/11 was our fault. I mean, if those buildings were a bit left or fight.....:


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## The Bread Guy (9 Feb 2011)

Better late than never - this from the _New York Times_:


> International and local human rights groups working in Afghanistan have shifted their focus toward condemning abuses committed by the Taliban insurgents, rather than those attributed to the American military and its allies.
> 
> (....)
> 
> ...


Here here.


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## VIChris (14 Feb 2011)

"Taliban officials reacted furiously to the report, denying its conclusion that insurgents caused most civilian deaths and proposing a “joint commission” between the United Nations and insurgents to study the problem."

Uh, sure, we'll get right on that. Just step into this cozy 8'x8' room, yes the one with the funny metal door, and we'll start studying shortly, sir.


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## The Bread Guy (9 Mar 2011)

Not entirely surprising, but shared nonetheless - this from the UN:


> .... Anti-government elements were linked to 2,080 civilian deaths (75 per cent of all civilian deaths), up 28 per cent from 2009, while pro-government forces were linked to 440 civilian deaths (16 per cent), down 26 per cent from 2009. Nine per cent of civilian deaths in 2010 could not be attributed to any party to the conflict.
> 
> Suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices killed the most Afghan civilians in the conflict in 2010, taking 1,141 lives, or 55 per cent of civilian deaths attributed to anti-government elements.
> 
> ...


More in the news release here, notes from the news conference here, and the full report here (85 pg PDF).


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## Gunner98 (9 Mar 2011)

Two relevant questions are:  Would these civilian casualties be higher or lower if ISAF was not there?  How much of the total is resulting from collateral damage from attacks against ISAF? 

page 3/7 of UNAMA news conference link - "Since 2007, 9,000 Afghans civilians have died due to conflict. In 2010, 2,777 Afghan civilians have died due to the conflict - 75 per cent caused by the anti-government forces, and 18 per cent by pro-government forces and international forces. But numbers and statistics are useful for criteria, they don’t tell the story. They help us to understand the negative trend the situation is going toward, but behind the numbers and statistics are faces, these are human beings, these are Afghan civilians who now for 30 years have paid most of the price of any conflict in this country." * 75+18 = 93, so 7% of the deaths could not be blamed on pro or anti forces.*

From report page 20/85:
"Military Operations in Southern Afghanistan
The surge in both international military forces and offensive operations in 2010 focused on the southern region. Major operations to clear Taliban forces from central Helmand and the districts surrounding Kandahar City were widely viewed as key tests of the counter-insurgency strategy pursued by Pro-Government Forces. The Taliban responded by vigorously contesting attempts to expand government power including through a campaign of assassinations. *The south saw 41 per cent of all civilians killed and injured across Afghanistan in 2010*."

From page 21/85:
"In Helmand, civilian casualties increased dramatically (78 per cent compared to 2009 from armed clashes between the Taliban and Pro-Government Forces and assassinations), while, in Kandahar, deaths and injuries of civilians increased by only 11 per cent (although civilian casualties in
Kandahar were already high). The clearance operations by Pro-Government Forces in February 2010 in the central Helmand districts of Marja and Nad Ali were accompanied and followed by intense violence which accounts for a substantial portion of the overall increase in civilian casualties in that province. In contrast, clearance operations in the districts bordering Kandahar City — Arghandab, Dand, Panjwayi, and Zhari — between July and November 2010 *did not lead to a similar spike in civilian casualties*, although they resulted in large scale property destruction."

from page 22/85:
"Humanitarian Access
Civilians were severely affected by the conflict, not only through deaths, injuries and the pervasive atmosphere of intimidation but also through displacement, damage and destruction to property, loss of livelihood, lack of freedom of movement and lack of access to essential services such as health care, food and education. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 102,658 persons were displaced due to the conflict in 2010."

50:1 ratio of displaced persons to deaths, is this security assistance?


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## The Bread Guy (9 Mar 2011)

ST - of all the good points you make....


			
				Simian Turner said:
			
		

> *50:1 ratio of displaced persons to deaths, is this security assistance?*


.... this one jumps out at me the most.  Is anybody asking similar questions?


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## dapaterson (9 Mar 2011)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> ST - of all the good points you make........ this one jumps out at me the most.  Is anybody asking similar questions?



Ben Tre

The problem in entering conflict without well-defined national aims is that you end up with the situation "You broke it, you bought it."

What does "victory" for the US and other nations in Afghanistan look like ?


When we know that answer, we can judge the other information.


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## The Bread Guy (13 Jun 2011)

This, according to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan:


> May 2011 was the deadliest month for Afghan civilians since at least 2007, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said today. UNAMA documented 368 conflict-related civilian deaths in May and 593 civilian injuries.
> 
> “More civilians were killed in May than in any other month since 2007 when UNAMA began documenting civilian casualties,” said Georgette Gagnon, Director of Human Rights for UNAMA.
> 
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (30 Jun 2011)

8 out of 10 figure confirmed by latest UN mission report (pg. 5 of attached):


> .... 20. The protection of civilians remained a critical concern over the reporting period. UNAMA documented 2,950 conflict-related civilian casualties (including 1,090 deaths and 1,860 injuries of Afghan civilians), an increase of 20 per cent compared to the same period in 2010. Anti-Government elements were linked to 2,361 civilian casualties (80 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties), while pro-Government forces were responsible for 292 civilian casualties (10 per cent of the total number). The remaining 10 per cent could not be attributed. The rise in civilian casualties, following the Taliban’s announcement of a spring offensive on 30 April, was due in part to an expansion in the operations of anti-Government elements and pro-Government forces throughout the country, particularly in the north and in the regions bordering Pakistan.
> 
> 21. The majority of civilian casualties occurred in the south and south-east regions. Improvised explosive devices planted along busy roads and suicide attacks by anti-Government elements in populated civilian areas accounted for the largest number of civilian deaths and injuries. Attacks targeting convoys, buildings and personnel of the Government and pro-Government forces, as well as civilian contractors providing logistical services to pro-Government forces, also resulted in increased numbers of civilian casualties. Despite the Taliban’s public statements that the offensive should target exclusively military objectives and ensure the protection of civilians, indiscriminate attacks against civilians continued. On 21 May, for example, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a national army hospital in Kabul that killed six civilians and injured 23 medical students.
> 
> ...


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## toyotatundra (6 Jul 2011)

I wonder if even the 82-12 ratio underplays the difference in moral character between the two sides.

After all, the Taliban faces a uniformed enemy visibly distinct from the civilian populace. Whereas, pro-government forces face an enemy who intentionally tries to blend into local populations.


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## The Bread Guy (14 Jul 2011)

8 out of ten civilian casualties still caused by bad guys according to latest stats out from UNAMA.

Also notice the trend in the attached graph - number of civvies being killed/injured by bad guys is growing, while number by good guys is dropping.  Wonder how much of THAT'll get into the mainstream media?


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## ModlrMike (14 Jul 2011)

Case in point:

Afghan officials say NOTO raid killed civilians.


Taliban stats... not so much.


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## The Bread Guy (26 Jul 2011)

At least one human rights group finally gets it - this from the head of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict ....


> .... (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai's refusal to condemn Afghans for killing other Afghans highlights his shortcomings as a head of state. His public excuse for overlooking insurgent atrocities is that the Afghan people expect attacks from the Taliban. This may be true, but can he genuinely believe an Afghan mother's loss is somehow less tragic if the Taliban pulled the trigger? Or that she feels comforted to know that it was expected? .... When being sworn in for his second term, Karzai pledged "...to learn from the mistakes and shortcomings of the past eight years. It is through this self-evaluation that we can better respond to the aspirations and expectations of our people." Two years later, Karzai is practicing more self-protection than self-evaluation. His failure to provide Afghan forces what they need to protect Afghans and to speak out about Taliban behavior may help him walk a political tightrope, but it places him firmly on the wrong side of history.


Source:  Foreign Policy's AFPAK Channel blog, 26 Jul 11


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## The Bread Guy (4 Feb 2012)

Latest stats from the U.N.:  almost 8/10 civilian casualties in 2011 caused by the bad guys, with their total climbing, with good guy CIVCAS stats dropping (see attached graphs).

From the U.N.:


> .... Anti-Government Elements caused the most Afghan civilian deaths in 2011 – 2,332 or 77 percent of all civilians who died in the conflict, up 14 percent from 2010. In addition, 410 civilian deaths (14 percent of the total) resulted from the operations of Pro-Government Forces, a decrease of four percent from 2010. A further 279 civilian deaths, or nine percent of the total, could not be attributed to a particular party to the conflict.
> 
> The record loss of Afghan civilian lives resulted mainly from changes in the tactics of Anti-Government Elements that used improvised explosive devices more frequently and more widely across the country, conducted deadlier suicide attacks yielding greater numbers of victims, and increased the unlawful and targeted killing of civilians. The effects of tactics of other parties to the conflict also influenced the number of civilians killed and injured ....


UNAMA news release - full report (54 pg PDF) here

Watch for a Taliban "the U.N. isn't _really_ impartial about these things" statement soon....


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## jollyjacktar (4 Feb 2012)

And yet, the bastards still have great support from the great unwashed there.   :not-again:


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## ModlrMike (4 Feb 2012)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> And yet, the bastards still have great support from the great unwashed there.   :not-again:



And here!


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## The Bread Guy (4 Feb 2012)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> And yet, the bastards still have great support from the great unwashed there.   :not-again:


I've wondered about that, too, especially with statements from Karzai & Co. seemingly bashing ISAF far more than the Taliban for mistakes.

Wonder if that's because Afghans are more afraid of the Taliban because they aren't leaving anytime soon?


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## jollyjacktar (4 Feb 2012)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> I've wondered about that, too, especially with statements from Karzai & Co. seemingly bashing ISAF far more than the Taliban for mistakes.
> 
> Wonder if that's because Afghans are more afraid of the Taliban because they aren't leaving anytime soon?


There was a story in the Daily Mail earlier this week that indicated the Taliban are sitting pretty with a pretty strong support base in the country.  They, (both the Taliban and their peeps) were just waiting for the West to bugger off.  Then Afghanistan would fall forever.  I don't know, down south they are all Pashtun and seem to be related to these things in one way or another.  Maybe we've been fooling ourselves that we were making a tangible difference.  Maybe what we've been has been a hand in a bucket of water, lots of splashing and noise but remove the hand and within seconds it's like the hand was never there.


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## Jarnhamar (5 Feb 2012)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Wonder if that's because Afghans are more afraid of the Taliban because they aren't leaving anytime soon?



Think first Gulf War andnthe Kurds.

The minute ISAF either pulls out or makes a deal with the new and improved and friendly Taliban, the Taliban are going to start getting some serious pay back. 
Chop chop.


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## The Bread Guy (5 Feb 2012)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Watch for a Taliban "the U.N. isn't _really_ impartial about these things" statement soon....


Sure enough - see attached .....


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## Kalatzi (7 Feb 2012)

Kinda like during Nam. Take US claims of NV Losses and divide by 4 

and NV Claims of US losses and divide by 10 and you might have a rough idea of what actually happened

In War the first casualty is truth.


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## The Bread Guy (1 Jun 2012)

Highlights mine....





> The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expresses its strong concerns that conflict-related violence continues to kill and injure many Afghan women, men and children throughout the country. 2011 marked the fifth year in a row that civilian casualties increased in the armed conflict in Afghanistan. *UNAMA documented 3,021 civilian deaths in 2011 with 77 per cent of all civilian deaths attributed to anti-Government elements* and 14 per cent to pro-Government forces - Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and international forces.
> 
> While UNAMA has documented *a 21 per cent decrease in civilian casualties over the first four months of 2012 in comparison with the same period in 2011*, civilian casualties continue to occur at unacceptably high levels. From 1 January to 30 April 2012, UNAMA recorded 579 civilian deaths and 1,216 injuries (*79 per cent of all civilian casualties were attributed to anti-Government elements with nine per cent attributed to pro-Government forces* and 12 per cent unattributed).
> 
> *Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by anti-Government elements remain the biggest killer of civilians in Afghanistan causing 31 per cent of all Afghan civilian deaths. UNAMA reiterates its strong demand on the Anti-Government Elements to stop using victim-activated pressure plate IEDs and publicly commit to banning the use of these illegal and indiscriminate weapons. In the context of transition, IEDs will continue to present major medium and long-term potential for causing devastating harm to civilians*, with Afghan National Security Forces taking on the leading role in IED prevention, site exploitation and disposal. To support this effort, UNAMA called on NATO, particularly signatory States to Amended Protocol II1 of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to dedicate additional resources to ensure effective, centralized management of counter-IED and IED disposal throughout the transition period. ANSF supported by the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) have already commenced work to develop a holistic Government counter-IED strategy ....


UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Info-machine, 31 May 12


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## The Bread Guy (22 Oct 2012)

Highlights mine....


> The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns the killing of at least 18 women in Dawlatabad District, Balkh on 19 October 2012. The deaths occurred early in the morning when a civilian bus taking guests to a wedding celebration drove over a pressure plate improvised explosive device (IED) planted on a busy public road. Another 15 civilians were injured, including six children, seven women and two men. No combatant casualties were reported.
> 
> UNAMA offers its condolences to the families of those killed and wishes a speedy recovery for those injured.
> 
> ...


UNAMA Info-machine, 20 Oct 12


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## The Bread Guy (18 Dec 2012)

> United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a new report released yesterday that the conflict in Afghanistan continued to take an “unacceptable toll” on civilians and a rise in civilian casualties in the last three months was of “great concern”.
> 
> In his latest quarterly report to the United Nations Security Council, Mr. Ban said civilian casualties increased by 28 per cent between 1 August and 31 October this year, compared to the same period in 2011, in contrast to a downward trend recorded in the first six months of 2012. Overall, in the first 10 months of 2012, a 4 per cent decline in civilian deaths and injuries was recorded.
> 
> ...


UNAMA Info-machine, 14 Jan 12


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## ModlrMike (19 Dec 2012)

> “I reiterate demands for an immediate halt to their use and call upon insurgent leaders to publicly repudiate such tactics.” ....



In other words: stop or I'll say stop again.


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## The Bread Guy (19 Feb 2013)

Stand by for a Taliban statement claiming "lies, all lies!"....


> The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan’s armed conflict dropped for the first time since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) started documenting the trend in 2007, said a UN report released in Kabul today.
> 
> (....)
> 
> ...


UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Info-machine, 19 Feb 13


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## The Bread Guy (31 Jul 2013)

From the UNAMA info-machine - highlights mine....


> *Afghanistan saw a 23 per cent rise in the number of civilian casualties over the first six months of 2013 compared to last year, with the majority caused by the increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)*, according to the latest Mid-Year Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan released today by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) .... UNAMA documented 1,319 civilian deaths and 2,533 injuries in the first half of 2013, marking increases of 14 per cent in deaths and 28 per cent in injuries over the same period in 2012. This rise reverses the decline observed in 2012 and suggested a return to the trend of 2011 when high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries were documented.
> 
> *The report attributes 74 per cent of all civil casualties to actions taken by Anti-Government Elements, a rise of 16 per cent over the same period last year 2012*. Pro-Government forces were found responsible for nine percent of casualties, 12 per cent of the casualties were unattributed and resulted from ground engagements between Pro-Government Forces and Anti-Government Elements and the remaining five per cent were unattributed, resulting mostly from unexploded ordnance.
> 
> ...


A bit more in the news conference transcript here.


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## The Bread Guy (6 Aug 2013)

_Usual caveat:  don't click on a Taliban web site link if you don't want their webmeister to get information about your computer (that's why there's an alternate, non-terrorist link as well)._

Taliban:  it's not us, really!


> .... It is worth mentioning that the enemy has been spreading misinformation about civilian casualties. Some entities, who claim to be neutral, publish reports based on these distorted reports. In fact, civilian casualties are caused by the enemy itself. Occasionally, when a Mujahid is found being careless as regards the prevention of the civilians casualties, he must be referred to the leadership after identification for handing over to the judicial courts ....


Latest Taliban statement - link to screen capture at Google Drive


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## The Bread Guy (9 Feb 2014)

This from the U.N.:


> .... UNAMA attributed 74 percent of civilian deaths and injuries to Anti-Government Elements,28 11 percent to Pro-Government Forces (eight percent to Afghan national security forces and three percent to international forces) and ten percent to ground engagements between Anti-Government Elements and Pro-Government Forces. The remaining five percent of civilian casualties were unattributed, resulting mainly from explosive remnants of war ....


Taliban's denial attached - enjoy!


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