Record high Afghan war civilian deaths first half of 2011

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I guess making our women soldiers wear hijabs or burkas didn't work.

7/14/11, "Afghan Civilian War Deaths hit Record Level-UN Report" Reuters UK, Michelle Nichols

"The first half of this year was the deadliest six months for civilians in Afghanistan since the decade-old war began, the country's U.N. mission said on Thursday.

Civilian deaths hit a record high, up 15 percent on the first half of 2010....

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 1,462 civilians had been killed in conflict-related incidents. It blamed insurgents for 80 percent of those deaths -- up nearly a third on the same period last year....

Controversial night raids by the U.S. military, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticised as inciting people to join the Taliban-led insurgency, fell slightly in the first half of 2011, accounting for 2 percent of all civilian deaths.

"However, resentment regarding these raids grew among the Afghan population. Violent demonstrations sometimes followed night raids and led to deaths and injuries of civilians."

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan also said it was concerned by the increasing use of children in the decade-long war, particularly after recording the youngest suicide bomber -- a 12-year-old who killed three civilians and injured 12 on May 1....

Pro-government forces, including the Afghan police and army and NATO-led troops were responsible for 14 percent of civilian deaths, a drop of 9 percent. But air strikes, one of the most controversial tactics in the war,

• killed more people.

The mid-year report found that International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were the leading the cause of civilian deaths by pro-government forces, so far killing 79 civilians in 2011, up 14 percent.

Apache attack helicopters played a much more prominent role.

A third of civilian deaths attributed to air strikes in 2010 were caused by those aircraft, while in the first half of 2011 they were responsible for 56 percent of air strike deaths.

The UM also warned the full picture could be even worse, as the report did not include data from the northern region of Afghanistan between March and June, because the UN office there was closed after it was overrun by a mob that

• killed seven UN staff....

While the number of insurgent suicide attacks was largely unchanged, the number of civilians they killed soared 52 percent, the

• largest increase in deaths from any tactic."...

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American women soldiers encouraged to wear burkas or hijabs in Afghanistan. photo Daily Caller

3/31/11, "Don't forget your hijab, soldier! American servicewomen encouraged to wear headscarves in Afghanistan," Daily Caller



Afghan civilians killed at wedding party, June 2011, Reuters

via Free Republic