A/HRC/34/41 same period in 2015. The task force verified that at least 820 boys and girls had been killed and 2,344 boys and girls had been injured. On average, more than 66 children were killed or injured each week, compared with 55 in 2015. 25. In 2016, ground engagements accounted for more than 50 per cent of child casualties, with 1,602 boys and girls killed or injured. Explosive remnants of war were the second leading cause of child deaths and injuries, for a total of 531 casualties, and improvised explosive devices followed, causing 509 child casualties. Air strikes killed and injured 183 children, compared with 59 in 2015. On 25 July, in Achin district, Nangarhar Province, international military forces conducted an aerial attack against a Da’esh post inside a residential area. One of the rounds fired missed the target and struck a nearby residence, killing four civilians, including one girl. 26. Targeted killings resulted in 138 child casualties and suicide attacks by antigovernment elements caused 129 child casualties, with the highest numbers recorded in the central region with 70 child casualties. The mission recorded 72 incidents involving children, mainly threats, intimidation and abductions. 27. Anti-government elements perpetrated 42 per cent of all verified child casualties; 32 per cent were committed by pro-government forces. Another 15 per cent of child casualties could be attributed to both anti- and pro-government forces, while the remaining 13 per cent could not be attributed to any party to the conflict. 28. Between January and September 2016, the country task force on monitoring and reporting verified 61 reports of incidents affecting education and education-related personnel, which represents a decrease of 53 per cent compared with the same period in 2015. Incidents affecting access to education included deliberate targeting and incidents that impeded access to education, including burning, improvised explosive device placement or detonation on school premises, abduction, threats, intimidation and harassment of education or education-related personnel, and the military use of schools. The task force attributed 54 incidents to anti-government elements and 5 incidents to progovernment elements, while 2 other incidents could not be attributed to any party to the conflict. In addition, the task force documented 15 incidents involving the military use of schools and of a teacher-training centre. Of those attacks, 12 were attributed to Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, 2 to the Taliban and 1 to pro-government militias. 29. Between January and September 2016, the country task force on monitoring and reporting verified 80 reports of attacks, threats and incidents affecting hospitals and health personnel, of which 70 were attributed to anti-government elements. The incidents occurred in the context of ground engagement and targeted attacks and included intimidation, threats, harassment, abduction of health or health-related personnel, search operations and the military use of health facilities. On 16 April, in the Nazyan district of Nangarhar Province, Da’esh militants issued written threats to force the staff of the Dwa Khwly Basic Health Centre to leave, then occupied and looted the facility, taking equipment. The task force also verified 14 incidents of the military use of health facilities, 9 of which were attributed to Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, 2 to the Taliban, 2 to undetermined armed groups and 1 each to the Taliban and the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces. 30. The country task force on monitoring and reporting verified 39 incidents of underage recruitment, involving 66 boys mainly used for planting improvised explosive devices, transporting explosives, carrying out suicide attacks and spying. That figure represents an increase in the number of children used or recruited in comparison with 2015, when the recruitment and use of 48 children was reported and verified. The task force attributed the recruitment of 56 boys to anti-government elements and the recruitment of 10 boys to pro-government forces. As an illustration, on 8 July 2016, in the Gardez district of Paktya Province, anti-government elements recruited a 13-year-old boy from a local 7

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