U.N.: Protect Afghan citizens better

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 9 (UPI) -- United Nations officials said Afghan civilians must be better protected from fighting, saying the increased number of civilian deaths was unacceptable.

The annual U.N. report said civilian casualties saw a 15 percent increase in 2010 over 2009, which made last year the most lethal of the war for non-combatants, The New York Times reported.

"2011 should be a year of escalating civilian protection, not another year of increasing civilian casualties," said Georgette Gagnon, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's human rights director. "We urge all parties to the armed conflict -- the anti-government elements, the government of Afghanistan and international military forces -- to do far more in 2011 to comply with their legal responsibilities to protect civilians."

The Taliban and other insurgent groups were responsible for 2,080 deaths, 75 percent of the total, while NATO and Afghan government forces were responsible for 16 percent of deaths, the civilian casualty report said. Nine percent of civilian deaths could not be attributed to either side.

"Taliban may complain about this report, but fact is fact," said Staffan de Mistura, a U.N. special representative. "Most of the civilian casualties were done by the Taliban and other anti-government forces."

The report noted a rise in assassinations by insurgents, saying there was a 105 percent increase in assassinations last year over 2009 with half occurring in southern Afghanistan.

"Assassinations affect Afghan society and violate human rights in ways that go far beyond the body count," said Nader Nadery, deputy director of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the report's co-author.

The report includes recommendations for insurgents, the Afghan government and NATO forces, the Times said. It recommended the Afghan government set up a "professional government body" that could respond to accusations of civilian casualties and have the authority to investigate the claims.