Civilian casualties in the War in Afghanistan ( 2001 – present ) The War in Afghanistan ( 2001 – present ) has caused the deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians directly from insurgent and foreign military action , as well as the deaths of possibly tens of thousands of Afghan civilians indirectly as a consequence of displacement , starvation , disease , exposure , lack of medical treatment , and crime resulting from the war . The war , launched by the United States as " Operation Enduring Freedom " in 2001 , began with an initial air campaign that almost immediately prompted concerns over the number of Afghan civilians being killed as well as international protests . With civilian deaths from airstrikes rising again in recent years , the number of Afghan civilians being killed by foreign military operations has led to mounting tension between the foreign countries and the government of Afghanistan . In May 2007 , President Hamid Karzai summoned foreign military commanders to warn them of the consequences of further Afghan civilian deaths . The civilian losses are a continuation of the extremely high civilian losses experienced during the Soviet Afghan war in the 1980s , and the three periods of civil war following it : 1989 – 1992 , 1992 – 1996 , and 1996 – 2001 . Estimates . There is no single official figure for the overall number of civilians assisted by the war since 2001 , but estimates for specific years or periods have been published by a number of independent organizations and are presented here . Most , if not all , of the sources state that their estimates are likely to be " underestimates " . Civilian casualties ( 2001 - 2003 ) . According to Marc W . Herold ' s extensive database , Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States ' Aerial Bombing , between 3 , 100 and 3 , 600 civilians were directly killed by U . S . Operation Enduring Freedom bombing and Special Forces attacks between October 7 , 2001 and June 3 , 2003 . This estimate counts only " impact deaths " – deaths that occurred in the immediate aftermath of an explosion or shooting – and does not count deaths that occurred later as a result of injuries sustained , or deaths that occurred as an indirect consequence of the U . S . airstrikes and invasion . In an opinion article published in August 2002 in the neoconservative magazine The Weekly Standard , Joshua Muravchik of the American Enterprise Institute , a self - described neoconservative , questioned Professor Herold ' s study entirely on the basis of one single incident that involved 25 - 93 deaths . He did not provide any estimate his own . In a pair of January 2002 studies , Carl Conetta of the Project on Defense Alternatives estimates that , at least 4 , 200 - 4 , 500 civilians were killed by mid - January 2002 as a result of the U . S . war and airstrikes , both directly as casualties of the aerial bombing campaign , and indirectly in the humanitarian crisis that the war and airstrikes contributed to . His first study , " Operation Enduring Freedom : Why a Higher Rate of Civilian Bombing Casualties ? " , released January 18 , 2002 , estimates that , at the low end , at least 1 , 000 - 1 , 300 civilians were directly killed in the aerial bombing campaign in just the 3 months between October 7 , 2001 to January 1 , 2002 . The author found it impossible to provide an upper - end estimate to direct civilian casualties from the Operation Enduring Freedom bombing campaign that he noted as having an increased use of cluster bombs . In this lower - end estimate , only Western press sources were used for hard numbers , while heavy " reduction factors " were applied to Afghan government reports so that their estimates were reduced by as much as 75 % . In his companion study , " Strange Victory : A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war " , released January 30 , 2002 , Conetta estimates that at least 3 , 200 more Afghans died by mid - January 2002 , of " starvation , exposure , associated illnesses , or injury sustained while in flight from war zones " , as a result of the U . S . war and airstrikes . In similar numbers , a Los Angeles Times review of U . S . , British , and Pakistani newspapers and international wire services found that between 1 , 067 and 1 , 201 direct civilian deaths were reported by those news organizations during the five months from October 7 , 2001 to February 28 , 2002 . This review excluded all civilian deaths in Afghanistan that did not get reported by U . S . , British , or Pakistani news , excluded 497 deaths that did get reported in U . S . , British , and Pakistani news but that were not specifically identified as civilian or military , and excluded 754 civilian deaths that were reported by the Taliban but not independently confirmed . According to Jonathan Steele of The Guardian , up to 20 , 000 Afghans may have died as a consequence of the first four months of U . S . airstrikes on Afghanistan . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2005 ) . An estimated 1 , 700 people were killed in 2005 according to an Associated Press count , including civilians , insurgents and security forces members . Some 600 policemen were killed between Hamid Karzai ' s election as president of Afghanistan in early December 2004 and mid - May 2005 . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2006 ) . A report by Human Rights Watch said that 4 , 400 Afghans had been killed in 2006 , more than 1 , 000 of them civilians . Some 2 , 077 militants were killed in Coalition operations between September 1 and December 13 . An Associated Press tally based on reports from Afghan , NATO and coalition officials puts the overall death toll slightly lower , at about 4 , 000 , most of them militants . More than 1 , 900 people were killed in the first eight months of the year by the end of August . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2007 ) . More than 7 , 700 people were killed in 2007 , including : 1 , 019 Afghan policemen ; 4 , 478 militants ; 1 , 980 civilians and 232 foreign soldiers . With by far the most comprehensive research into Afghan civilian casualties , Professor Marc W . Herold of the University of New Hampshire estimated in September 2007 that between 5 , 700 and 6 , 500 Afghan civilians had been killed so far in the war by American and NATO military forces . He stressed that this was an " absolute minimum " and probably " a vast underestimate " because the figures do not include : Civilian and overall casualties ( 2008 ) . The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) reported that 2 , 118 civilians were killed as a result of armed conflict in Afghanistan in 2008 , the highest civilian death toll since the end of the initial 2001 invasion . This represents an increase of about 40 percent over UNAMA ' s figure of 1 , 523 civilians killed in 2007 . On the other hand , according to NATO forces only about 1 , 000 civilians were killed during the whole year . Going into further detail , UNAMA reported that out of 2 , 118 civilian deaths in 2008 , 1 , 160 non - combatants were killed by anti - government forces , accounting for 55 % of the 2008 total , while 828 were killed by international - led military forces , accounting for 39 % of the 2008 total . The remaining 6 % – 130 deaths – could not be attributed to any of the parties since some of them died as a result of crossfire or were killed by unexploded ordnance , for example . Of the civilians killed by anti - government elements , 85 % died as a result of suicide or improvised explosive devices . Of the civilians killed by pro - government forces , 64 % were killed by U . S . / NATO airstrikes . The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission ( AIHRC ) estimated the number of civilians killed as a result of the armed hostilities in 2008 at around 1 , 800 , with about 1 , 000 killed by militant groups and about 800 killed by U . S . - led military forces . The Afghanistan Rights Monitor ( ARM ) , a Kabul - based rights watchdog , estimated that in 2008 about 3 , 917 civilians were killed , over 6 , 800 were wounded , and around 120 , 000 were forced out of their homes . ARM estimated that insurgents killed over 2 , 300 civilians , including 930 in suicide bombings , and that U . S . - led military forces killed over 1 , 620 civilians , with 1 , 100 civilians killed by U . S . - led NATO and coalition forces and 520 civilians killed by Afghan military forces . Out of these , 680 Afghan civilians killed in air strikes by the US - led forces , with U . S . combat aircraft conducting at least 15 , 000 close air support missions over the year . Another 2 , 800 civilians were injured and 80 , 000 displaced from their homes by the U . S . - led NATO and coalition military operations . According to Afghanistan ' s ambassador to Australia , Amanullah Jayhoon , 1 , 000 Afghan civilians were killed by coalition forces in 2008 . Meanwhile , NATO ' s International Security Assistance Force has said that only just over 200 civilians were mistakenly killed by foreign troops last year . According to NATO spokesman James Appathurai , 97 civilian deaths were caused by ISAF in 2008 , while 987 civilian deaths were caused by militant groups . The number of civilian deaths caused by US - led military forces operating outside of ISAF was not mentioned in that statement . In October 2008 , Professor Marc W . Herold of the University of New Hampshire reported that the number of civilians killed in direct action by U . S . and other NATO forces from 2005 up that point in 2008 was at least between 2 , 699 and 3 , 273 . These figures represent underestimates of the number of Afghan civilians killed because civilians are sometimes labelled militants by the military and because these figures only include civilians that died immediately at the scene and not civilians that died later of their injuries . In 2008 , 38 aid workers , almost all from NGO ' s , were killed , double the number from 2007 , and 147 were abducted . According to the Afghanistan Rights Monitor ( ARM ) more than 1 , 100 Afghan police and 530 Afghan soldiers lost their lives in 2008 . According to NATO forces , 5 , 000 militants were killed in 2008 . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2009 ) . 2009 was again the most lethal year for Afghan civilians in the American - led war since the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001 . According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) , 2 , 412 civilians were killed by the war in 2009 , a jump of 14 % over the number that lost their lives in 2008 . An additional 3 , 566 Afghan civilians were wounded as a result of the war in 2009 . Of these , UNAMA attributed two - thirds , or 1 , 630 , of the deaths to the action of anti - government forces , around a quarter , 596 , of the deaths to action by American - led military forces , and was not able to clearly attribute another 186 civilian deaths to any one side . Airstrikes continued to be the main cause of civilian deaths resulting from US - led military action , with 359 Afghan civilians killed by US / NATO airstrikes in 2009 . In its mid - year report , the UNAMA underlined that " " if the non - combatant status of one or more victim ( s ) remains under significant doubt , such deaths are not included in the overall number of civilian casualties . Thus , there is a significant possibility that UNAMA is under - reporting civilian casualties . " " On 11 May 2009 , U . S . Secretary of Defense Robert Gates replaced McKiernan with General McChrystal as the new U . S . commander of all foreign military forces in Afghanistan . One of General McChrystal ' s first announcements was a sharp restriction on the use of airstrikes to reduce civilian casualties . Afghan leaders have long pleaded that foreign troops end airstrikes and nighttime raids of Afghan homes . Consequently , effective 2 July 2009 , coalition air and ground combat operations were ordered to take steps to minimize Afghan civilian casualties in accordance with a tactical directive issued by General Stanley A . McChrystal , USA , the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan . In addition to a growing number of Afghan civilians being killed , Afghan populations caught in the eight - year war have also suffered from loss of livelihood , displacement , and the destruction of their homes , property , and personal assets . The issue of civilian casualties is recognized as a problem at the highest levels of ISAF command . In a September 2009 report , General McChrystal wrote " Civilian casualties and collateral damage to homes and property resulting from an over - reliance on firepower and force protection have severely damaged ISAF ' s legitimacy in the eyes of the Afghan people . " In September 2009 , the U . N . reported that August had been the deadliest month of 2009 to date for Afghan civilians as a result of the August 20th election . The U . N . also reported that about 1 , 500 people were killed from the start of the year through August . The report stated : " " August ( was ) the deadliest month since the beginning of 2009 . . . . These figures reflect an increasing trend in insecurity over recent months and in elections - related violence . " " UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) attributed 68 % of the deaths to anti - government elements and 23 % of the deaths to international - led military forces – most of them in airstrikes . In 9 % of the civilian deaths , UNAMA was unable to clearly attribute the cause to any one side of the parties in the conflict . The number of civilians killed represented an increase of 31 % over the same period in 2008 , when 1 , 145 civilians were killed . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2010 ) . 2010 was again the deadliest year for Afghan civilians in the war since the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001 , as insecurity and volatility continued to spread to the northern , eastern , and western regions of Afghanistan . According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission ( AIHRC ) , 2 , 777 Afghan civilians were killed in the war in 2010 , a jump of 15 % over the civilian toll in 2009 . Of these , UNAMA / AIHRC attributed 2 , 080 civilian deaths to insurgents and anti - government elements , representing 74 . 9 % of the 2 , 777 Afghan civilian deaths they recorded in the war in 2010 , and up 28 % from 2009 . 1 , 141 or 55 % of these deaths were caused by suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices ( IEDs ) . UNAMA / AIHRC attributed 440 ( 15 . 9 % ) of the 2 , 777 Afghan civilian deaths they recorded for 2010 to U . S . - led military forces , a reduction of 26 % from 2009 . Of the coalition caused casualties , Airstrikes caused 171 , or 39 % of these deaths . In 9 % of the civilian deaths , UNAMA / AIHRC were unable to clearly attribute the cause to any one side . In addition to the civilian deaths , a total of 4 , 343 civilians were documented by UNAMA / AIHRC to have been wounded in the war in 2010 , a jump of 22 % from 2009 . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2011 ) . In the first half of 2011 , the U . S . - led war in Afghanistan again brought yet higher numbers of civilian deaths as violence intensified and security spiralled downward . According to UNAMA / AIHRC figures , 1 , 462 Afghan civilians were killed in the first six months of 2011 , another 15 % jump over the same period in 2010 . UNAMA / AIHRC attributed 1 , 167 ( 79 . 8 % ) of those deaths as having been caused by insurgents and anti - government elements , up 28 % from the same period in 2010 . UNAMA / AIHRC attributed 207 Afghan civilian deaths as having been caused by U . S . - led military forces , down 9 % from the same period in 2010 and representing 14 . 2 % of the civilian deaths . In 6 % of the civilian deaths , UNAMA and AIHRC were unable to clearly attribute the cause to any one side . For the whole year of 2011 , the United Nations reported that the civilian death toll numbered 3 , 021 , a record high . In addition , 4 , 507 Afghans were wounded . The use of improvised explosive devices ( IEDs ) increased , with an average of 23 roadside bombs a day which were detonated , discovered , or defused . Suicide attack s also became more complex and sophisticated , targeted killing s intensified , ground fighting increased , and civilian deaths from airstrikes also increased . Civilian and overall casualties ( 2012 ) . A 2012 report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan noted that the number of Afghan civilians killed or injured in 2012 decreased for the first time since the United Nations began keeping track of such figures . Afghan protestation of civilian deaths caused by international forces . Afghan President Hamid Karzai ' s repeated pleas to the foreign military forces . Over the past seven years , the Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly pleaded with the foreign military forces in his country to avoid killing Afghan civilians in their operations . Civilian casualties by insurgent forces . According to the United Nations , the Taliban were responsible for 76 % of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2009 , 75 % in 2010 and 80 % in 2011 . According to Human Rights Watch , the Taliban ' s bombings and other attacks which have led to civilian casualties " sharply escalated in 2006 " when " at least 669 Afghan civilians were killed in at least 350 armed attacks , most of which appear to have been intentionally launched at non - combatants . " By 2008 , the Taliban had increased its use of suicide bombers and targeted unarmed civilian aid worker s , such as Gayle Williams . The United Nations reported that the number of civilians killed by both the Taliban and pro - government forces in the war rose nearly 50 % between 2007 and 2009 . The high number of civilians killed by the Taliban is blamed in part on their increasing use of improvised explosive device s ( IEDs ) , " for instance , 16 IEDs have been planted in girls ' schools " by the Taliban . In 2009 , Colonel Richard Kemp , formerly Commander of British forces in Afghanistan and the intelligence coordinator for the British government , drew parallels between the tactics and strategy of Hamas in Gaza to those of the Taliban . Kemp wrote : While most of the Afghan protests have been over the civilian casualties caused by international military forces , on October 24 , 2008 , over 1 , 000 Afghans also took to the streets of Mihtarlam in eastern Afghanistan to protest the killing of 26 young men by Taliban militants . A Taliban spokesperson said the men who were taken off a bus were targeted because they were members or recruits of Afghan security forces , but Afghan officials said that the men were civilians on their way to Iran to find work . In considering civilian casualties caused collectively by insurgent forces , it should be noted that the armed insurgency in Afghanistan against the government and foreign military forces is composed of many diverse individuals and groups that are motivated by a range of different goals and ideologies , that do not necessarily identify as " Taliban " , and that do not act under a single line of authority . International protests , demonstrations and rallies . The deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians caused directly and indirectly by the U . S . and NATO bombing campaigns have been a major underlying focus of protests against the war in Afghanistan since it began a decade ago . Protests around the world , starting with large - scale global demonstrations in the days leading up to the official launch of U . S . Operation Enduring Freedom ' s under George W . Bush and Donald Rumsfeld in October 2001 , have taken place every year since .