A/HRC/28/48 civilian deaths and 2011 injured (2,811 civilian casualties), up five per cent from the same period the previous year. After a decrease of 44 per cent in civilian casualties from pressure-plated devices in 2013, the number of civilian casualties from those devices increased again in 2014 by nine per cent. In a particularly grave incident on 23 November 2014, in Yahyakhel district of Paktika province, a suicide attacker detonated a body-borne improvised explosive device among a large crowd at a local volleyball tournament. The suicide bomber was allegedly targeting members of the Afghan Local Police among the crowd. Fifty-eight civilians were killed, including 21 children, and 85 were injured, including 26 children. The anti-Government element group responsible for this attack has not been determined. 12. Throughout 2014, anti-Government elements continued to target and kill civilians who worked for or were perceived to support the Government or Afghan and international military forces. Between 1 January and 30 November, UNAMA/OHCHR documented 967 civilian casualties (649 civilian deaths and 318 injured) from targeted killings — a decrease of 11 per cent as compared with the same period in 2013. In many cases, which led to 63 per cent of the casualties, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the targeted killings on their website. On 30 August 2014, for example, the Taliban claimed responsibility for having killed 12 labourers and injured five in Farah Province, alleging that they were members of a pro-Government militia. 13. Anti-Government elements attempted to disrupt both rounds of the 2014 presidential election by threatening and targeting civilians involved in the electoral process. On the weekend of the first round of the election (held on 4 and 5 April), 211 conflict-related incidents caused 208 civilian casualties (45 killed and 163 injured). Most of the incidents (91 per cent) directly targeted voters, candidates, employees of the Independent Elections Commission or police officers providing security to polling centres. On the weekend of the second round of the elections (on 13 and 14 June), violence increased, with 169 conflictrelated incidents affecting civilians, causing 324 civilian casualties (82 deaths and 242 injured). Again, most of the incidents (85 per cent) directly targeted participants in the election. In a serious incident on 14 June in Herat, the Taliban cut off the fingers of 12 men after they had cast their vote. The attacks by anti-Government elements did not result in significant disruption to the electoral process. 14. Anti-Government elements increasingly threatened and targeted religious leaders. UNAMA/OHCHR documented 24 incidents in which religious leaders or places of worship were directly threatened or attacked, resulting in 58 civilian casualties (18 deaths and 40 injured). The total number of casualties caused by attacks against religious leaders and places of worship grew by 57 per cent over the same period in 2013. The majority of the attacks targeted mullahs performing funeral ceremonies for deceased members of Afghan security forces and religious figures who had expressed public support for the Government. In the first 11 months of 2014, the number of incidents of punishments, including executions, amputations and beatings by “parallel courts” operated by anti-Government elements also doubled and the number of resulting civilian casualties quadrupled to a total of 92, with 77 civilians killed and 15 injured. B. Pro-Government forces 15. From 1 January to 30 November 2014, UNAMA/OHCHR documented 1,085 civilian casualties (446 civilian deaths and 639 injured) attributed to pro-Government forces, a 21 per cent increase from 2013. The rise is attributed to an increase in offensive operations and counter-attacks by Afghan National Security Forces against antiGovernment elements in contested areas. For example, on 18 August, 14 civilians, 6