Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit record high amid U.S troop withdrawal, UN says
26 July 2021
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan have hit record highs amid the U.S. troop withdrawal from the country, the UN said in a report released Monday.
Why it matters: The report, which documented more than 1,650 civilians deaths in the first half of 2021, provides a "clear warning" that an unprecedented number of Afghan civilians "will perish and be maimed this year if the increasing violence is not stemmed," the UN mission in Afghanistan said.
By the numbers: Afghanistan recorded 1,659 civilian deaths and 3,254 injuries in the first six months of this year, a 47% increase from the same period last year, according to the report.
- In May and June alone, nearly 800 civilians were killed and more than 1,600 were wounded — the highest number of casualties for those months since UNAMA began its systematic documentation in 2009.
- Women and children made up nearly half of the civilian casualties, per the report.
- More than 460 children were killed and 1,214 wounded.
The big picture: The U.S.-NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan is about 95% complete, with the U.S. mission in the country slated to end on Aug. 31.
- The U.S. departure has coincided with large territorial gains by the Taliban and a sharp uptick in violence.
- A regional U.S. commander said Sunday that the military has stepped up its airstrikes against the Taliban and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead.
What they're saying: “I implore the Taliban and Afghan leaders to take heed of the conflict’s grim and chilling trajectory and its devastating impact on civilians," Deborah Lyons, the secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement.
Go deeper: U.S. offers more air support to Afghan forces in fight against Taliban
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.