KABUL: The number of Afghan civilian casualties fell 15 percent during the first half of 2012 compared to the same period last year, the United Nations said Wednesday.
A total of 1,145 Afghan non-combatants lost their lives in violence, mostly insurgent attacks, between January 1 and June 30 this year compared to 1,510 in 2011, the UN said. Another 1,954 civilians were wounded, it said.
Despite the decrease in the casualties, the war has "continued to take a devastating toll on civilians", the UN Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.