UN: Afghan civilian casualties down by 15%

The United Nations says Afghan civilian casualties have fallen by 15 percent during the first half of 2012 compared to the same period last year. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says this reduction of civilian casualties reverses the trend in which civilian casualties had increased steadily over the previous five years. says 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. UN said the insurgents were responsible for 80 percent of the casualties, while pro-government forces, which include the 130,000 troops serving as part of a US-led NATO force, were blamed for 10 percent of the casualties. The remaining 10 percent was attributed to unknown groups.