Afghan conflict: Over 40,000 wounded in war, treated since June, says Red Cross

Voicing relief, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini said that "devastating urban warfare" was avoided in Kabul when the Taliban fighters advanced into the city.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that over 40,000 people wounded during war in Afghanistan have been treated since June at health facilities supported by the aid agency, including 7,600 so far this month.

During the first 10 days of August, the agency has treated 4,042 wounded, which means more than 3,500 were treated in the past week alone as the Taliban seized many important provinces including the capital, Kabul, which surrendered to the insurgents without a fight.

Voicing relief, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini said that "devastating urban warfare" was avoided in Kabul when the Taliban fighters advanced into the city.

"Our medical teams and physical rehabilitation centres expect to receive patients for months and years to come as they recover from wounds from explosive devices that litter the country, many of them newly laid in recent weeks," he said in a statement.

"It is heartbreaking to see our wards filled with children and young men and women who have lost limbs," he added.

The ICRC, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1987, deploys some 1,800 national and international staff, including surgical teams, spokesman Florian Seriex said.

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