Deadliest Month Ever for Afghan Civilians

Eighteen people were killed in bomb blasts, just as the UN reports that May was the deadliest month for civilians in Afghanistan since 2007.

Insurgents killed at least 18 people, mostly civilians, in multiple attacks in the eastern and southern parts of Afghanistan Friday. The latest casualties came as the UN reported that May was the deadliest month for civilians in Afghanistan since 2007. According to the report, 82 per cent of the 368 "conflict-related civilian deaths" were caused by "anti-government elements," while "pro-government forces," like NATO, were responsible for 45 deaths. The UN is particularly concerned about an expected increase of civilian suffering during the summer fighting season, a time that historically has had higher civilian casualties. Friday's violence came in the form of a car bomb blast in the southern province of Kandahar, and a suicide bomber striking the outside of a police base in the eastern province of Khost.