U.N. secretary-general lauds peacekeepers

UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon drew attention Monday to the United Nation's role in protecting civilians caught in armed conflicts.

Too many people are dying, in too many places. Sometimes they are caught in the cross fire, frequently they are targeted," Ban told the Security Council, pointing out a reported rise in civilian deaths in Afghanistan, the deaths of seven U.N. peacekeepers in Ivory Coast and civilian deaths in clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups in Syria.

His remarks noted the Security Council's progress in the last year and a half in protecting civilians, a U.N. statement said, mentioning the efforts of international forces in reducing violence in eastern Libya in 2011 and in the conflicts after Ivory Coast's 2010 elections.