Afghanistan: More than 40,000 wounded treated since June, says Red Cross

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday that more than 40 thousand wounded during Afghanistan fighting have been treated since June at health facilities supported by it. This includes 7,600 so far this month.

ICRC treated 4042 during first 10 days of August. This means that more than 3500 were treated in past week as the Taliban captured large swathes of territory in Afghanistan including Kabul.

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

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"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.

(With inputs from agencies)