The United Nations says more children are becoming casualties of the Afghan war, with five children killed or wounded in Afghanistan per day.

In a new report released by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, more than 1,700 children were killed or injured in the conflict last year compared with nearly 1,400 in 2010.

More than 300 children under the age of 18 were reportedly recruited to fight in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents are battling local and international forces.

The report says insurgents have used children to conduct suicide attacks, plant roadside bombs, and transport supplies to armed groups.

A U.N. children's agency statement urges all parties to the conflict to ensure that children are protected at all times and in accordance with humanitarian law.

UNICEF Afghanistan Deputy Representative Vidhya Ganesh said, “this level of avoidable suffering, as is presented in the secretary-general's report, is simply unacceptable.”

UNICEF also called for insurgents to stop recruiting those under the age of 18 and for the Afghan government to halt and prevent underage recruitment into the Afghan National Security Forces.