10,000 civilians killed, injured in Afghanistan in 2017
Kabul: More than 10,000 civilians were killed or injured in violent attacks in Afghanistan last year, the UN has said.
The annual report released on Thursday by the UN's Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) showed the figure had dropped by 9 percent in 2017 from the previous year, reports the Guardian.
"The chilling statistics in this report provide credible data about the war's impact, but the figures alone cannot capture the appalling human suffering inflicted on ordinary people," Unama's chief Tadamichi Yamamoto said here.
US President Donald Trump introduced a more aggressive strategy in Afghanistan in August last year, including a surge in airstrikes. Militants have retaliated with attacks in Kabul in the past few weeks, killing nearly 150 people.
The total civilian toll last year was 3,438 killed and 7,015 wounded, according to the UN.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for the "perpetrators to be held accountable", the Guardian reported.
Unama reported a 5 percent rise in the number of women killed, at 359, with 865 injured. Child casualties stood at 3,179 (861 killed and 2,318 injured) - a 10 percent drop from 2016.
The deadliest attack since the UN began documenting civilian casualties in 2009 was in Kabul on May 31, 2017, when a massive truck bomb killed 92 and injured 491.
More than 28,000 civilians have been killed and more than 52,000 wounded in Afghanistan since 2009 when UN officials started documenting the casualties.
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PM Modi meets Google CEO, discusses AI collaborations
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday had a meeting with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc, and discussed the work India is doing in artificial intelligence and how the technology giant can work with Indian students and professionals in this field.
Pichai is here to attend the ongoing India AI Impact Summit, which is being held at Bharat Mandapam here alongside an expo.
"It was a delight to meet Mr. Sundar Pichai on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. Talked about the work India is doing in AI and how Google can work with our talented students and professionals in this field," Modi wrote on X.
The prime minister on Monday visited the India AI Impact Expo here, featuring more than 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. Over 20 heads of state, 60 ministers and 500 global AI leaders are attending the summit.
