Afghan civilian death toll soars 13/01/2010 - 10:53:27
The number of Afghan civilians who died in war-related violence soared last year to the highest annual level since the conflict began in 2001, the UN said today.
It said 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009 – a 14% increase on the previous year.
But deaths attributed to allied forces dropped nearly 30% – a key US goal for winning over the Afghan people.
Unrelenting violence, which has defied a usual lull in the winter, has highlighted concern that casualties will rise as the US and Nato send 37,000 more troops to try to stabilise the country.
Civilian casualties have been a sensitive subject in Afghanistan, with US forces frequently accused of killing non-combatants in air strikes.
The UN announced the casualty toll in a report released today.
