Deadly year for Afghans

A record number of women and children were killed or wounded in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2021, a UN report said Monday.

The country recorded a 47 percent increase in the number of casualties in the first half of this year, compared to last year — with 1,659 civilians killed and 3,254 wounded, according to the report.

Women and children accounted for 46 percent of the casualties — 32 percent were children, with 468 killed and 1,214 wounded, and 14 percent were women, with 219 killed and 508 wounded.