UN: Afghan civilian deaths rise sharply

The number of civilians killed in the Afghan war jumped 25 percent in the first half of 2010 compared with the same period last year, with insurgents responsible for the spike, the United Nations said in a report Tuesday.

Shortly after the UN released its report in Kabul, two gunmen with explosives strapped to them tried to storm the office of an international security company in the capital. When guards fought back, the men detonated their explosives, killing two Afghan drivers.

The UN report showed a reduction in civilian casualties from NATO action, but the overall rise in deaths indicated that the war is getting ever-more violent - undermining the coalition's aim of improving security in the face of a virulent Taliban insurgency.

"The human cost of this conflict is unfortunately rising," said Staffan De Mistura, the top UN envoy in Afghanistan. "We are very concerned about the future because the human cost is being paid too heavily by civilians. This report is a wake-up call."

According to the UN report, 1,271 Afghans died and 1,997 were injured - mostly from bombings - in the first six months of the year. There were 1,013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009.

The UN said insurgents were responsible for 72 percent of the deaths - up from 58 percent last year.

In much of the south, people say they are too scared to work with NATO forces or the Afghan government because they will then be targeted by insurgents. And the risk of attack makes travel, running a business or any sort of community organizing or political campaigning dangerous.