Quick fixes targeted by militants

LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Several non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan are calling on military officials to re-evaluate the use of quick-fix aid projects.

A report released by the humanitarian relief organization CARE International cites warnings by the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group and the European Network of NGOs in Afghanistan, who say the use of quick-fix aid projects by military units is drawing increasing numbers of attacks from militants, CARE reported.

The report, titled "Aid and Civil-Military Relations in Afghanistan," says schools and health clinics built as short-term aid projects are often poorly constructed and have placed the recipient communities and aid workers in increased danger.

"Individuals and communities perceived as collaborating with the international military risk being targeted by insurgents," Lex Kassenberg, CARE International Afghanistan country director, said in a statement.

"For this reason, the military should be much more sensitive to the impact of its operations on civilian agencies and Afghan communities."

The CARE report calls for longer-term aid in Afghan communities to help counter the militant threat.