KABUL - The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Tuesday said it was shocked more than anyone else by civilian casualties, trying its best during operations to prevent collateral damage.
A day earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released its annual report, saying that 11, 418 civilians suffered casualties in 2016.
The report said 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 others wounded last year, blaming the Taliban for 61 percent of the casualties, government forces for 24 percent and foreign troops for two percent.
In reaction, the MoD spokesman said in a statement they had carefully read the UNAMA report. Maj. Gen. Dawlat Waziri said the ministry was more worried about civilian casualties than any other organisations and always tried to avoid harming innocent people.
He said President Ashraf Ghani had always ordered security officials and commanders to be more careful about civilian protection during their operations against terrorist groups.
However, he alleged Afghanistan’s enemies -- fighting at the best of outsiders -- were least bothered about civilian casualties. He condemned the rebels for using mosques and homes as trenches.
The enemies forced civilian men, women and children into fighting, Waziri claimed. Whenever surrounded by security forces, the fighters hid in civilian houses, the spokesman said.

The statement said the MoD and Afghan forces were mainly responsible for the protection of people’s lives, belongings and honour. They would not allow anyone to play with people’s lives, he concluded. (Pajhwok)