AFGHANISTAN:ATTACKS ON humanitarian workers in Afghanistan have reached an all-time high, with more abductions and murders of staff in June than any other month in the past six years.
The Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (Acbar), a Kabul-based umbrella body for 100 aid organisations operating in the country, said yesterday that there had been 21 incidents in June. So far this year, there had been 84 attacks in which 19 staff were killed - a death toll that already outstrips the total for all of 2007.
The agency said gangs and militants were responsible for the upsurge in violence, forcing many organisations to scale back operations. It said the spread of insecurity was putting the lives of people dependent on humanitarian assistance at risk, particularly young children and pregnant women.
"With a severe drought in some parts of the country and dramatically increased food prices, over four million Afghans are facing extremely difficult circumstances," Acbar said.
Insecurity had also spread to previously stable areas in the north, northwest and west of the country.
According to Acbar's figures, the Taliban-led insurgency has reached its deadliest peak since the regime was overthrown in 2001. The number of insurgent attacks, bombings and other violent incidents was up by about 50 per cent, it said. And with 260 civilian casualties in July, last month was the worst for six years.
But it also said the use of air strikes by the international military alliance had increased by 40 per cent, contributing to the civilian death toll.