Blasts kill or maim 20,000 people in 2020 as civilian casualties rise 40%

Almost 20,000 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons globally last year – most of them civilians, a shock report has revealed.

Bombs, missiles and grenades hit 18,747 people but well over half of them, 11,056, were civilians being hit disproportionately by explosions.

Most of the people hit in cities by explosions that killed or injured them in countries like Afghanistan, Syria or Libya were civilians.

Afghanistan jumped to the top of the explosive league of deaths and injuries as the Taliban stepped up attacks on civilians to try and leverage peace talks with America.

Last year 11,056 civilians were hit by explosions (AFP/Getty Images)

There IEDs, or Improvised Explosive Devices in the form of suicide bombs, vehicle or roadside bombs caused 68% of civilian deaths, some of them also caused by Islamic State.

There was also a 40% increase in civilian casualties from ground-launched explosive weapons, such as shelling and grenade incidents.

This increase went from 535 civilian casualties in 2019 to 751 in 2020.

Overall deaths and injuries from explosives in Afghanistan actually decreased, even though the number of civilians hit actually soared.

But outside heavily-populated areas just 16% of blast victims were civilians as troops and armed fighters or terror groups appear to have been more discriminate and accurate in firing missiles.

The horrific top five league table of explosives-hit countries in order of highest civilian casualties, including death and maiming is topped by Afghanistan, with 3,490.

Afghanistan suffered the most explosive deaths and injuries (Getty Images)

In second place was Syria, with 3,013, then Pakistan with 684, Yemen with 683 and Libya with 671 civilian casualties hit by explosive weapons.

The research by London-based charity Action on Armed Violence shows the terrible toll warfare has imposed on victims of war not involved in fighting.

AOAV said in a statement: “Such findings reflect the consistent pattern of harm Action on Armed Violence has monitored over the decade.

“Between 2011 and 2020 AOAV found that when explosive weapons were used in populated areas on average nine in every ten deaths and injuries caused were to civilians.

“Last year Afghanistan was for the first time recorded as the worst-impacted country, according to civilian casualties reported from the use of explosive weapons.

“Though the levels of violence fell significantly in Syria it remained the second worst impacted country.”