Afghan civilian deaths rose 40 % in 2008

KABUL – The number of Afghan civilians killed in armed conflict rose 40 per cent last year to a record 2 118 people, the United Nations said in a new report yesterday.

The report said militants were responsible for 55 per cent of the deaths, but that US, Nato and Afghan forces killed 829 civilians, or 39 per cent.Civilian deaths have been a huge source of friction between the US and President Hamid Karzai, who has increased demands that US and Nato troops avoid killing civilians during operations.The US and Afghan militaries this month announced plans to increase the number of Afghans who will take part in US operations, a step aimed at reducing deaths of ordinary Afghans.The UN’s annual report on the protection of civilians noted that despite new battlefield rules meant to reduce civilian casualties, US, Nato and Afghan troops killed 31 per cent more civilians in 2008 than in 2007, when the UN said those forces killed 629 civilians.’As the conflict has intensified, it is taking an increasingly heavy toll on civilians,’ the UN said.Militants increasingly rely on roadside bombs, car bombs and suicide bombers, attacks that are ‘frequently undertaken regardless of the impact on civilians,’ the report said.But US, Nato and Afghan operations also have resulted in an increase in civilian casualties, ‘notwithstanding efforts to implement policies and procedures to minimize the impact of their operations on civilians,’ the report said. – Nampa-AP