Civilian casualties decline slightly in Afghanistan-U.N. report

KABUL (Reuters) - Civilians casualties caused by the war in Afghanistan declined slightly in the first three months of 2017, the United Nations said on Thursday, a rare drop that officials attributed mostly to residents fleeing areas of fighting.

From January to March there were 715 civilians killed and 1,466 wounded, an overall 4 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, according to a quarterly report released by U.N. human rights investigators in Kabul.