2010-08-11 10:32

KABUL, Afghanistan - The number of Afghan civilians killed or injured in the war soared 31 percent in the first six months of the year, with Taliban bombings and assassinations largely responsible for the sharp rise, the United Nations reported.

Soldiers with the Canadian Army's 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, conduct a joint patrol with Afghan Army troops through the village of Bazaar e Panjwaii, in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province August 10, 2010. [Agencies]

 

Hidden bombs and suicide attacks are killing and maiming so many Afghans that Amnesty International urged the Afghan government to seek prosecution of Taliban leaders for war crimes. Women and children are increasingly bearing the brunt of the conflict - even as NATO restrains the use of force on the battlefield.

The UN report released Tuesday found the number of deaths and injuries caused by NATO and Afghan government forces dropped 30 percent compared with the first six months of last year, largely a result of curbs on the use of air power and heavy weapons.

But the overall sharp rise in deaths and injuries indicate the war is growing ever-more violent, undermining the coalition's aim of improving security for ordinary Afghans in the face of a virulent Taliban insurgency.

Violence has paralyzed life in much of the country, especially the south, where many people are afraid to work with the Afghan government, run a business or travel. The last two months have seen record death tolls for US and NATO forces on the battlefield.

"The human cost of this conflict is unfortunately rising," said Staffan de Mistura, the top UN envoy in Afghanistan. "We are very concerned about the future because the human cost is being paid too heavily by civilians. This report is a wake-up call."

According to the UN report, at least 1,271 Afghans were killed and 1,997 injured - mostly from bombings - in the first six months of the year. The UN said the figures represented a 31 percent increase in civilian deaths and injuries over the same period last year.

The UN said the Taliban and their allies were responsible for 76 percent of all civilian deaths and injuries. The report attributed the rise to greater Taliban use of larger and more sophisticated hidden bombs throughout the country and a 95 percent increase in targeted assassinations.

An updated Taliban code of conduct distributed to insurgents in southern Afghanistan this month urged their fighters to avoid killing civilians, suggesting the militant leadership is also sensitive to a possible public backlash among their support base.

However, the Taliban consider anyone who works for or shows support for the Afghan government and its international partners to be traitors and legitimate targets for death. Roadside bombs intended for NATO convoys often strike civilian vehicles instead. Suicide attacks in outdoor markets and other public places routinely end up killing or maiming civilians.