Deaths of civilians spike as US, Afghan air forces pound Afghanistan
(CNN)The number of civilians — mostly women and children — killed or injured by airstrikes in Afghanistan has risen a startling 39% year on year, according to UN figures released Wednesday, casting fresh scrutiny on the use of air power by the United States and its Afghan partners at a time of near-record bombing and increasing violence.
More civilians have been killed or injured in airstrikes so far this year than all of last, according to a United Nations quarterly assessment of civilian casualties. The rise comes after the departed US commander for the war promised a “tidal wave of air power” to combat a resurgent Taliban. US President Donald Trump has personally delineated a strategy for victory in Afghanistan, and vowed to “push onward to victory with power in our hearts.”
The UN report comes as the US ratchets up its involvement in what has become the country’s longest-running war. The US has boosted its support for the Afghan Air Force through training and weapons supply, raising concern over the air force’s use of US-supplied non-guided bombs that have taken a clear toll on civilian lives.
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