International and Afghan forces kill more civilians than the Taliban

Afghan forces and their international military-backers have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban and other militants, a new United Nations report said.

Air strikes and night raids against militant hideouts killed hundreds of bystanders as US forces have ramped up operations under Donald Trump, as he seeks a way out of America's longest war.

Both sides in the long-running conflict are continuing to wage aggressive operations to strengthen their negotiating hand while pursuing a tentative peace process in Doha.

Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, said that Mr Trump wants to begin pulling out American forces from the country by next year.

The latest UN figures for civilian deaths during the war said at total of 717 civilians were killed in the first six months of 2019 by pro-government forces, including 403 killed by Afghan forces and another 314 by international forces. The figure is an increase of nearly a third since the first half of 2018.

Over the same period, 531 were killed by the Taliban, the local branch of Islamic State group and other militants.

A spokesman for American forces in Afghanistan rejected the figures, but did not disclose its own tally.

Col Sonny Leggett said US forces collected their own record of civilian casualties which was "more thorough, evidentiary and accurate".

Civilian casualties blamed on insurgents dropped by more than two-fifths. The Taliban have said the fall is because they are taking greater care not to kill civilians, but the Afghan government says the fall is because its forces are managing to stop attacks.

"Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics," Richard Bennett, the UN's human rights chief in Afghanistan, said.

Civilian deaths as a whole fell 27 per cent from the same period in 2018 amid the lowest total of civilian casualties for the first six months of the year since 2012.

American negotiators are due to meet Taliban envoys again this week to negotiate a deal allowing foreign troops to pull out in return for assurances Afghanistan will not become a springboard for terrorist attacks. The Taliban are so far refusing to talk to the Afghan government about a wider political settlement that could stop the war continuing after America leaves.

Mr Trump wants combat forces reduced in Afghanistan by the next US presidential election, Mr Pompeo said. "He's been unambiguous: end the endless wars, draw down, reduce. It won't just be us," he said. "We hope that overall the need for combat forces in the region is reduced."