The number of civilian casualties from the Afghan conflict fell by almost a quarter in the first three months of the year, with a drop in suicide attacks, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

A total of 1,773 civilian casualties were recorded in January-March period, a 23 percent decline from the same period in 2018, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its latest report. The tally includes 581 deaths and 1,192 wounded.
Although militants remain responsible for majority of civilian casualties, pro-government forces killed more civilians than the insurgents.
A total of 963 civilian casualties were caused by the Taliban and Islamic State, as compared to 608 caused by pro-government forces.
During the period, pro-government forces were responsible for the deaths of 305 civilians, whereas insurgent groups killed 227 people, the report said.
The report pointed to the large number of casualties caused by US and Afghan government air strikes, which killed 145 people and made up the largest single cause of civilian deaths during the period. 140 of those came from US air strikes.
“A shocking number of civilians continue to be killed and maimed each day,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, said in a statement calling on all sides to do more to protect civilians.
He said militant groups should stop deliberately targeting civilians and using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as roadside bombs, while pro-government forces should cut the rising death toll from air strikes and search operations.
During the period, UNAMA documented four suicide attacks that caused 178 civilian casualties. That was compared to 19 such incidents that killed or wounded 751 during the same period last year.
The decline in suicide attacks coincided with a series of peace talks between US and Taliban representatives.
However, the report said it was unclear if this trend came as a result of harsh winter or if the Taliban were trying to kill fewer civilians during peace talks.