Afghan women and children hit hard by rise in casualties

Violence against civilians in Afghanistan rose nearly a quarter in the first half of 2013, the United Nations reported Wednesday, reinforcing fears about the country's ability to tackle the Taliban on its own as Afghan soldiers take on duties from their U.S. and international counterparts.

The report stated that the number of dead and injured civilians had increased by 23 percent in the first half of 2013, compared to the same period last year. Women and children are increasingly among the victims of Afghanistan’s 12-year-old war, marking a return to the high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries recorded in 2011.

Khalil, a 16-year-old Afghan boy who goes by one name, told Al Jazeera’s Bethany Matta that he was returning from his sister's house when he saw three men planting something in the ground. As he approached he tripped a wire, and seconds later a land mine blew off his leg.

"I blame the Taliban for this,” he said. "The Taliban saw me coming towards the mine, but they did not warn me. They plant a lot of mines in the area. Once they planted a mine in front of our house." 

Georgette Gagnon, U.N. human rights director, said that the transition of security responsibilities from the U.S.-led coalition to Afghan forces was met with increased attacks by anti-government elements.

The intensified attacks occurred "mainly at checkpoints, on strategic highways, in some areas that had been transitioned and in districts bordering neighboring countries," she said, where improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remained the single greatest killer, claiming 53 percent more victims than last year, most of them children.

"Often civilians, including women and children, are caught in the crossfire from straying mortars or guns, or whatever the conflicting parties are using. This is why we have seen quite an increase in deaths from this kind of tactic," Gagnon told Al Jazeera.

Fighting between security forces and insurgents had emerged as the second most significant cause of civilian deaths, with the report putting the death toll in crossfire at 207.

Both sides were responsible for civilian deaths, but the report said almost three-quarters were caused by insurgents, who were increasingly targeting civilians seen to be cooperating with the government.

Gagnon urged insurgents to "stop deliberate targeting and killing of civilians and withdraw orders that permit attacks" on legal personnel, clergy and government workers.

But the Taliban said anyone supporting President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government was a legitimate target, and called the U.N. report “totally biased” in an emailed statement issued to reporters.

"We never consider those people as civilians who are directly involved in our country's occupation and work with sensitive organs of the enemy," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

While deaths among Afghan women and children have been on the rise since last year, the U.N. report noted a 30-percent leap in the number of children killed during the first half of 2013.

In one of the worst instances, 10 children, most of them infants, were killed in an aerial bombardment in the eastern province of Kunar that "appeared to serve no clear military/tactical purpose", the U.N. said.

An investigation by NATO-led force in Afghanistan concluded that it was not responsible for the deaths, though human rights groups and the U.N. have questioned that finding.

The threat to civilians has become a significant source of stress in relations between Karzai and his backers, particularly when civilian deaths are caused by foreign forces.

The rise in violence across Afghanistan also means humanitarian workers must carefully navigate the conflict, Matta said. An attack on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in May killed a staff member, which resulted in the withdrawal of some international staff and a discontinuation of some activities.

"We have to adapt our working model and procedures to reduce the overall exposure to risk," said Jacques de Maio, ICRC's head of operations for South Asia. "Regrettably, this will have an adverse effect on the quality and the quantity of some of our services.”

The surge in violence has raised questions about the ability of domestic forces to take on insurgents and win the trust and support of people in areas where they operate.

Casualties caused by a security force known as the Afghan Local Police – established in 2010 to operate in remote, insecure areas – rose more than 60 percent, the U.N. said. Force members had been accused of murder, torture and rape.

Still, many communities reported that they owed an improvement in security to the police.

The report also noted increased numbers of clashes between unaligned armed groups, a recurrence of the insecurity in the 1990s that enabled the Taliban to eventually take control.

Al Jazeera and wire services