Afghanistan: civilian casualties 'on the rise'

[Robb]

Source: BBC

More than 1,000 Afghan civilians were killed in armed violence and security incidents in the first six months of 2010, a new Afghan study says.

Afghanistan Rights Monitor says 1,074 civilians were killed between January and June - a slight increase compared with the same period in 2009.

However, the number of people killed in Nato air strikes in the same period has halved, the report says.

Changes to rules of engagement helped reduce that figure, the report says. Former Nato commander Gen Stanley McChrystal issued instructions in 2009 severely limiting the circumstances in which troops could call in an air strike or fire into buildings.

The newly arrived coalition international forces commander, Gen David Petraeus, has vowed to carry on with the policy.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10598764.stm

[NJmaverick]

1. So is it safe to assume that the Taliban has been doing the killing?

[Robb]

2. Not all of it, not by a long shot.

But the majority of civilian deaths, yes.

[NJmaverick]

3. I was actually referring to the increase more than the base numbers

but your point is taken.