The United Nations says the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan increased in 2009 over 2008. According to the UN, in the first 10 months of this year 2,038 civilians died as opposed to 1,838 during the same period last year, an increase of 10.8 percent.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says the vast majority of civilian deaths were due to fighting between Taliban rebels and pro-government forces. The UNAMA says 468 Afghan civilians were killed by either Afghan government forces, the US military or NATO troops.
 

Thousands of people have been killed in Afghanistan since the war began nine years ago. The commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, made minimising Afghan civilian casualties a central policy in his strategy for the country.