Over 1,000 Afghan civilians die in 2010

KABUL - More than 1,000 civilians have been killed in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan this year, with June being the most violent month in nearly nine years of war, an Afghan rights group said Monday.

The Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said in a report that 1,074 civilians were killed this year, with the Taliban responsible for more than 60 percent of the deaths.

The number showed a slight increase compared with the 1,059 civilians killed last year.

The number of civilian casualties inflicted by NATO-led forces, however, has dropped “considerably”, largely due to new restrictions imposed on military engagements last year, including limits on airstrikes, dailyoutlookafghanistan.net reported quoting the group.

The Taliban killed about 660 people, mostly in roadside and suicide bombings, while NATO troops were responsible for the deaths of 210 people, ARM said. The rest of the civilians were killed by Afghan security forces, including private security guards.

The recent US military surge by the coalition forces has emboldened the Taliban as the move was seen as “the last push before exit”, it said.

US President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 additional US troops to be deployed in Afghanistan this year, a move intended to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat” the Taliban and their Al Qaeda-linked allies.

He also set July 2011 as the start of the US military withdrawal. The fresh troops are due to increase the total number of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan to 150,000 in the coming weeks.

Violence has escalated throughout the country as the international troops try to push into Taliban-controlled areas. “In terms of insecurity, 2010 has been the worst year since the end of the Taliban regime in late 2001,” ARM said.

The group, which says it compiled the data from interviews with victims’ families and local officials, recorded 1,200 terror incidents in June, the most violent month in nearly nine years of war. More than 100 US and NATO troops were killed in the period.