Kabul: This year has been the most violent
since the Afghan war began in 2001 and civilian deaths have
risen slightly with the increased insecurity, a local rights
group said Monday.
A massive US-led increase in troops has failed to quell
the Taliban-led insurgency, Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM)
said.
"In terms of insecurity, 2010 has been the worst year
since the demise of the Taliban regime in late 2001," it said.
"Not only have the number of security incidents
increased, the space and depth of the insurgency and
counter-insurgency-related violence have maximised
dramatically," ARM said.
In late December, US President Barack Obama ordered an
extra 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan as part of a new
counter-insurgency strategy designed to reverse the Taliban
momentum and speed up an end to the nine-year
war.
But ARM`s mid-year report "Civilian Casualties of
Conflict" said Obama`s policy of intensifying operations
against the Taliban has not disrupted, dismantled or defeated
the insurgents.
On the contrary, it says, "the insurgency has become more
resilient, multi-structured and deadly".
About 1,074 civilians were killed and more than 1,500
injured in war-related incidents in the first six months of
2010, compared with 1,059 killed in the same period last year,
ARM said.
"Up to 1,200 security incidents were recorded in June,
the highest number of incidents compared to any month since
2002," it said.
Bureau Report
