KABUL - Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. Thank you for coming. I think it is the right time, I’m sorry to say, for addressing issues relating to civilian casualties. We do have a report – every six months.

This report is particularly important in our opinion because it is taking place at the very time when perhaps we are in the middle of the so-called Spring offensive and at the same time in the middle of the most intense part of the so-called surge. So I will leave Georgette Gagnon, our director of human rights issues, to elaborate on the report and I will then make some additional comments. Thank you.

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