A report by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) shows that 1,213 civilians were killed and 1,740 civilians were wounded in the first six months of this year, an 11% reduction from the same period in  2019.

The reduction comes amid increasing peace efforts by the Afghan government and its allies, but critics say violence is still high--especially by the Taliban--which is a key element of the peace process.

The Afghan security agencies data seen by TOLOnews shows that 2,685 civilians were killed or wounded in five months--from Jan. 21 to June 20--but the figures do not differentiate between those who lost their lives and those who were wounded.

The data is from one month ahead of the Feb. 28 peace deal between the US and the Taliban and four months afterward. It shows that civilian casualties have increased after the signing of the peace deal compared to one month ahead of the agreement.