A/HRC/43/74 provincial hospital, causing 158 civilian casualties (28 deaths and 130 injured), including patients, visiting family members and health workers. 15. UNAMA/OHCHR documented 608 civilian casualties (256 deaths and 352 injured) from victim-activated pressure-plate improvised explosive devices, which are inherently indiscriminate and function as landmines. B. Pro-government forces 16. Between 1 January and 30 November, UNAMA/OHCHR attributed 2,757 civilian casualties (1,358 deaths and 1,399 injured) to pro-government forces, a 16 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2018. This represents 28 per cent of the overall number of civilian casualties, with 16 per cent attributed to the Afghan national security forces, 8 per cent to international military forces, 2 per cent to pro-government armed groups and 3 per cent to undetermined or multiple pro-government forces. Once again, the incident type that led to most civilian casualties attributable to pro-government forces was ground engagements, followed by aerial operations and search operations. Civilian casualties from both ground engagements and aerial operations increased, with the latter causing the highest number of victims since UNAMA/OHCHR started its systematic documentation of civilian casualties in 2009. 17. UNAMA/OHCHR continued to document an increase in civilian casualties from progovernment airstrikes, trend observed since 2014. During the period under review, 1,000 civilian casualties (660 deaths and 340 injured) were caused by airstrikes, mainly attributed to international military forces, amounting to 10 per cent of all civilian casualties. For example, on 19 September, in Khogyani district, Nangarhar province, United States Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) conducted multiple airstrikes targeting individuals in a wooded area controlled by ISIL-Khorasan Province, causing 30 civilian casualties (20 deaths and 10 injured). The victims were harvesting pinecones for the pine nut industry. They had given the authorities, including the Afghan national security forces, advance notice in writing of their plans to work in the area. Shortly after the incident, USFOR-A paid compensation to the families of eight of the individuals killed, acknowledging they were civilians. In October, UNAMA/OHCHR issued a joint report on airstrikes conducted on 5 May by USFOR-A on alleged drug-processing facilities in Farah province, causing at least 39 civilian casualties (30 deaths, five injured and four undetermined), including 14 children and a woman. The report concludes that drug facilities and associated workers may not be lawfully made the target of attack based on their possible economic or financial contribution to the war effort of a party to the conflict, and should be protected. 18. UNAMA/OHCHR remain concerned about civilian casualties from search operations by pro-government forces. UNAMA/OHCHR documented 306 civilian casualties (232 deaths and 74 injured) during search operations, a 4 per cent decrease compared with 2018. UNAMA/OHCHR attributed the vast majority of these casualties to operations involving the National Directorate of Security Special Forces and two pro-government armed groups, the Khost Protection Force and Shaheen forces, either alone or partnered with international forces. In addition to civilian casualties, UNAMA/OHCHR has repeatedly raised concerns about incidents of human rights violations and abuses committed by these forces, including arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and damage to civilian property, which have fuelled protests and caused frustration among local communities. UNAMA/OHCHR notes that, in the second half of 2019, investigations into some incidents have commenced, and the President issued statements on the need to change the conduct of the National Directorate of Security Special Forces. 19. UNAMA/OHCHR noted a continued increase in attention to civilian casualties, with the Government adopting policies and establishing mechanisms for civilian casualty mitigation and prevention. The Government continued to implement the national policy on civilian casualty prevention and mitigation endorsed by the National Security Council in 2017, and the coordinated civilian casualty tracking mechanism continued to improve its functionality under the guidance of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Resolute Support advisers. 4