The war in Afghanistan is becoming deadlier, killing 10 percent more civilians during the first 10 months of 2009 compared to the previous period last year, according to UN figures.
Figures released to AFP by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) show civilian deaths in the first 10 months of 2009 at 2,038, up from 1,838 for the same period of 2008, an increase of 10.8 percent.
The Afghan Poor And Eid Festival
At the Kampany market on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul, the rain is turning to snow as the livestock traders decide to call it a day and heave their animals back into their trucks.
At the Kampany market on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul, the rain is turning to snow as the livestock traders decide to call it a day and heave their animals back into their trucks.
UNAMA said that 468 deaths were caused by pro-government forces, including NATO and US-led forces, and 166 by "other actors".
The war blighting Afghanistan is now into a ninth year and has escalated over the course of 2009 as more international troops have been injected into the theatre, leading to more battles with Taliban-led militants.
Army Says Morale of US Troops Hurt by Afghan War
The US Army has aid that there is declining morale and a reluctance to seek help for anxiety fueled by repeated combat tours.
The US Army has aid that there is declining morale and a reluctance to seek help for anxiety fueled by repeated combat tours.
The Taliban is increasingly relying on homemade bombs to fight foreign and Afghan troops, although they exact a horrific toll on civilians.
Advertisement
Australian Troops Battling Cocaine Addiction in Afghanistan, Iraq
Australian troops stationed in Afghanistan are getting addicted to cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs which are as cheap as chips in that country.
Australian troops stationed in Afghanistan are getting addicted to cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs which are as cheap as chips in that country.
US General Stanley McChrystal, who commands the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has made it a central tenet of his new strategy that civilian casualties should be minimised.
Advertisement
Scorching Heat, Not Talibans, Number One Enemy For Soldiers In Afghanistan
After hours of ferocious fighting in southern Afghanistan, the two young US Marines desperately needed emergency medical care - and it was the heat, not the Taliban, that had finally defeated them.
After hours of ferocious fighting in southern Afghanistan, the two young US Marines desperately needed emergency medical care - and it was the heat, not the Taliban, that had finally defeated them.
SRM
