UN: violence against civilians rose in Afghanistan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Violence against civilians has risen by almost a quarter in Afghanistan as international forces hand security to Afghans, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday, July 31, with insurgents striking in areas where troops have already left, according to Reuters.

The report, presented by the Human Rights Director for the UN in Afghanistan, said the number of dead and injured civilians had increased by 23 percent in the first six months of 2013, compared to the same period last year.

Women and children are increasingly the victims of the 12-year-old war, the report said, noting a 30 percent leap in the number of children killed. The total civilian death toll stood at more than 1,300, with 2,533 reported injuries.

The UN report said bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), remained the single greatest killer, claiming 53 percent more victims than last year, most of them children.

Fighting between security forces and insurgents had emerged as the second most significant cause of civilian deaths, with the report putting the death toll in crossfire at 207.

Both sides were responsible for civilian deaths, but the report said almost three-quarters were caused by insurgents, who were increasingly targeting civilians seen to be cooperating with the government, the report said.

Casualties caused by a security force known as the Afghan Local Police, set up in 2010 to operate in remote, insecure areas, rose more than 60 percent, the United Nations said. Force members had been accused of murder, torture and rape.