The Afghan civilian casualties have risen in 2014 as the country's security forces are taking the lead and the end of NATO-led forces' combat mission is drawing near, said the UN mission in the country on Saturday.

"As of Nov. 30, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has recorded more civilian deaths and injuries during 2014 than in any other year since it began its authoritative reports in 2009," the mission said in a statement posted on its website.

The number of Afghan civilians killed and injured in the first eleven months of this year totals 9,617, with 3,188 killed and 6, 429 injured, which indicates 19 percent increase when compared with the same period last year, according to the statement.

The children casualties also increased by 33 percent and women deaths and injuries showed a 14 percent increase than in 2013.

The ground engagements and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were the leading cause of civilian casualties over the period, according to the statement.

The officials blamed the attacks of Taliban insurgents and other armed groups for vast majority of the civilian deaths and injuries over the past years.

Afghan security forces took the full operational lead from foreign troops in mid-last year. They are set to take over the full security responsibilities from NATO-led troops by the end of this month.

The U.S. and NATO-led troops will switch from combat to support role -- NATO-led Resolute Support mission, which will focus on training, advising and assisting Afghan forces by the end of this month, and nearly 13,000 foreign forces will be involved in the mission, according to NATO officials.

The UNAMA is continuing discussions with all parties, including the Taliban, to strengthen mitigating measures to limit the impact of the conflict on civilians, the UNAMA statement noted. Endi

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