A total of 581 Afghan civilians were killed and 1,192 others wounded in the Afghan conflict in the first three months of the year, the UN mission in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

"From 1 January to 31 March 2019, UNAMA documented 1,773 civilian casualties (581 deaths and 1,192 injured), including 582 child casualties (150 deaths and 432 injured). 

In the first quarter of 2019, the UNAMA continued to document high levels of harm to civilians from the armed conflict, the report said.

The ground engagements and clashes in countryside were the leading cause of civilian casualties over the period.

The mission expressed concerns over continued targeting of civilians and increase in civilian casualties from the use of non-suicide IEDs by anti-government militants, as well as significant increases in civilian casualties from airstrikes and search operations by security forces.

XINHUA