U.N. reports sharp rise in Afghanistan attacks

[freedomnorth]

Source: Reuters

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Militant attacks in Afghanistan increased dramatically last year, with civilians accounting for nearly a fifth of people killed, the U.N. secretary-general said in a new report.

In a report to the U.N. Security Council made available on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there were an average of 566 "insurgent and terrorist" incidents per month last year compared with 425 per month in 2006.

"Of the over 8,000 conflict-related fatalities in 2007, over 1,500 were civilians," Ban said in the report, which was dated March 6.

He said there had been a shift in tactics in 2007, with militants focusing on small-scale "asymmetric" attacks on the Afghan army and, in some cases, civilians.

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