(MENAFN- Khaama Press) The Taliban militants killed or wounded at least 66 civilians in the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, the National Security Council said.

The Office of National Security Council in a statement said the Taliban militants killed 17 civilians and wounded at least 49 others during the same period.

The statement further added that the casualties were inflicted on civilians in 17 provinces of the country.

This comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) last week released its latest report regarding the civilian casualties in Afghanistan which were inflicted in the first quarter of 2020.

'The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented a total of 1,293 civilian casualties (533 killed and 760 injured) in Afghanistan during the first three months of the year, underscoring the heavy toll the conflict continues to inflict on the civilian population,' UNAMA said in a statement.

The report further added that the anti-Government Elements (AGEs) continued to be responsible for the majority of civilian casualties – 55 per cent – during the first quarter, causing 710 civilian casualties (282 killed and 428 injured). 'UNAMA attributed 39 per cent to the Taliban, 13 per cent to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant–Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) and the remainder to undetermined AGEs.'

The number of civilian deaths attributed to AGEs – particularly the Taliban – increased by 22 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019, mainly due to an increase in targeted killings and summary executions, UNAMA added.

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