• published: 01 Aug 2013
• views: 645

There has been a large increase in the number of civilians killed or injured in Afghanistan. A UN report says the total number for the first six months of the year was almost 25 percent higher than in the same period last year. BBC's Jon Brain reports from Kabul. Would you like to know more? Afghan civilian deaths increase; more women, child victims: U.N. (Reuters, July 31, 2013) http://reut.rs/13ud8wq "Violence against civilians has risen by almost a quarter in Afghanistan as international forces hand security to Afghans, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday, with insurgents striking in areas where troops have already left. The report, presented by the Human Rights Director for the U.N. in Afghanistan, said the number of dead and injured civilians had increased by 23 percent in the first six months of 2013, compared to the same period last year. Women and children are increasingly the victims of the 12-year-old war, the report said, noting a 30 percent leap in the number of children killed. The total civilian death toll stood at more than 1,300, with 2,533 reported injuries. Mounting casualties are reinforcing fears about Afghanistan's ability to tackle the Taliban insurgency on its own, after most foreign troops leave next year. The Afghan army faces one of the highest desertion rates in the world and a chronic lack of logistical and medical support..." 'Madrassas are emptying' for final US fighting season in Afghanistan (thehill, July 19, 2013) http://bit.ly/154actB "The Taliban and its allies are plotting a bloody and spectacular end to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Foreign fighters are pouring into the eastern part of the country to take on U.S. and allied forces in what will likely be the final fighting season for American troops here. Pakistani-based terror groups like the Haqqani Network and others are calling upon "every house, every family" to send fighters into Afghanistan, Afghan army commanders stationed at the American base in Paktia province told The Hill. "The madrassas are emptying" in Pakistan, added Lt. Col. David Hamann, who leads the American Security Force Assistance Advisory Team at Combat Outpost Matun Hill. The influx of foreign insurgents ahead of the White House's 2014 troop withdrawal deadline comes just as the administration is facing mounting public pressure to end the war quickly." Afghanistan lawmakers cite religion in blocking legislation to protect women (DW, May 18, 2013) http://bit.ly/10CHChD "Lawmakers in Afghanistan have blocked legislation proposing a minimum marriage age for girls, and women not being prosecuted for rapes committed against them. Some said such laws might encourage sex outside of marriage. Failure to pass the law highlights how tenuous women's rights remain a dozen years after the US-led war led to the overthrow of the Taliban, which kept women virtual prisoners in their homes. Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada, a conservative lawmaker for the Herat province, said parliament withdrew the legislation because of opposition from religious parties that considered the law un-Islamic. "Whatever is against Islamic law, we don't even need to speak about it," Shaheedzada said..." Pakistan intelligence agency claims Afghanistan supports Taliban splinter groups (NBC, March 27, 2013) http://nbcnews.to/YCbWLa "Pakistan's intelligence agency has accused the Afghan government of supporting Taliban splinter groups. In a report presented to Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday, the ISI agency alleged President Hamid Karzai's administration was in league with groups linked to the main Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan movement, known collectively as the TTS. The report suggested the "recent nexus of TTS with Afghan government is likely to enhance the terrorist activities" in areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border such as Mohman, Bajaur, Dir, Swat and Chitral. Anti-Pakistan elements, particularly from across the border in Afghanistan, had provided "strong support" in terms of money, logistics and training and this was "one of the main factors for increased militancy," the report said..." Twelve Years Of Progress Slipping Away http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b_l3zZi_oY Afghan Army Chief: 'Pakistan controls Taliban' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXifVQ-WCas Security Handed Over To Afghan Forces http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXSoPxIeOjc Taliban Start "Monumental" Spring Offensive 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z34ebNzlQ8 Afghan Exodus In The Making http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCX6fr25J6c Delusional Partnership http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMsCe8cyg8M Afghanistan's Sick Children http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xisQ6kBPl4 Seventy Times More Likely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTGCPtioGj8 Taliban Overseers Running The Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X-JZhQoKy8 Conflict Fueled From The Neighbor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSMZ9lNHOUA Focus On Afghanistan http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5C9FC3C10911B353