Afghanistan: fighting takes heavy toll

The civilian population of Kabul is once again bearing the brunt of the fighting that has been raging in the Afghan capital since 6 March. Indiscriminate bombing and shelling have left many dead or wounded. The casualties include an Afghan employee of the ICRC and a staff member of the Afghan Red Crescent, killed on 10 and 15 March respectively. Some areas of the city have been almost completely destroyed, forcing the inhabitants to leave.

Between 4 and 17 March Kabul's ten main hospitals admitted 1,636 wounded, a figure as high as that recorded by ICRC delegates in January 1994, when the city was being pounded by intensive bombing and artillery fire. The hospitals in Herat and Shindan have also treated many casualties. Throughout the clashes the ICRC has continued to provide emergency medical supplies to all hospitals receiving the war-wounded. The ICRC's surgical hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, is almost filled to capacity, having admitted 150 patients this month.