The email sent will contain a link to this article, the article title, and an article excerpt (if available). For security reasons, your IP address will also be included in the sent email.
Published on Thursday, September 29, 2011 by the McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/09/28/125542/un-reports-big-increase-in-afghan.html
by Habib Zohori
KABUL, Afghanistan — Violence in Afghanistan is up nearly 40 percent over last year, a United Nations report released Wednesday found, contradicting claims by the U.S.-led coalition that security has improved since last year.
The U.N. report, information for which is compiled by the U.N. mission here and submitted to the Security Council quarterly, said that as of the end of August, there had been an average of 2,108 "security incidents" each month this year, a 39 percent increase compared with the same period in 2010.
The average number of suicide attacks monthly, 12, remained unchanged, the report said, but more of those attacks were complex and coordinated, involving more than a lone bomber, the report said. The monthly average of three such complex attacks this year is 50 percent higher than the number for the same period in 2010.
A report from the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force in August painted a sharply different situation.
"Throughout 2011 ISAF has seen significant security improvements throughout Afghanistan and violence is down in 12 of the past 16 weeks as compared to the same period in 2010," the coalition's report said.
There was no comment from coalition spokesmen on the U.N. report.
Return to Article