Afghan casualties on rise, Taliban blamed for most

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.

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 U.N. 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 U.S. and NATO forces on the battlefield.

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

The U.N. 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.

Two suicide bombers Tuesday attacked a building rented by a private security company in the Afghan capital, killing two company drivers. Four other civilians were killed by Taliban bombs Tuesday, according to police.