UN: Civilian Death Toll Rises in Afghanistan
By VOA News
31 July 2009
A United Nations report says civilian deaths in Afghanistan have jumped by nearly 25 percent compared to last year, with more than 1,000 killed in the first half of 2009.
The U.N. assistance mission in Afghanistan says Taliban militants were to blame for nearly 60 percent of civilian deaths, caused mainly by roadside bombs and suicide attacks. Afghan government and international forces also were faulted for errant air strikes that claimed hundreds of lives.
The report released Friday says militants were increasingly basing themselves in civilian areas to deliberately blur the distinction between combatants and civilians. It says the shift appears to be "an active policy" aimed at drawing a military response to areas where there is a high likelihood of civilian casualties.
The U.N. says the death toll likely will rise further in the next few months, as insurgents respond to the recent U.S. troop surge and upcoming elections in August.
Civilian casualties have been a major source of tension between the Afghan government and the United States.
The new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has made the protection of civilians a top priority in the revamped U.S. military strategy. He has pledged to sharply restrict the use of air strikes and issue new rules to U.S. and NATO forces about fighting with militants hiding out in Afghan homes.
Thousands of U.S., British and Afghan troops are taking part in a major offensive aimed at eliminating Taliban strongholds in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
July has been the deadliest month for international forces in Afghanistan since 2001, with at least 40 U.S and 22 British soldiers killed. An American soldier died Friday after being wounded the day before in a direct fire incident in southern Afghanistan.
Separately on Friday, police said at least nine militants and a police officer were killed in a gunbattle that was sparked by a Taliban attack on a NATO supply convoy a day earlier in western Herat province.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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