AFGHANISTAN
Since the NATO-led ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001, instability in Afghanistan has grown, matched by an increase in civilian casualties. As pro-government Afghan forces, including the Afghan National Army and the NATO-led ISAF coalition seek to bring peace to a country at war for much of the last 30 years.

These pro-government forces are conducting a counter-insurgency campaign against a league of armed opposition groups, including the Taliban, Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin, the Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda.

Over the past two years, violence has escalated in the south and east of the country, along the Pakistani border. Deadly violence has increased every year since 2007.  In early 2010, the United Nations stated that security incidents, including suicide bombings and assassinations, in the country had increased significantly over prievious years. 

Even though the coalition mission in Afghanistan has called for civilian protection to be a central point of its counterinsurgency strategy, Afghan civilians continue to be targets of insurgent violence, with the majority of civilian casualties (67%) are caused by insurgent attacks.  NATO and U.S. forces have also been implicated in the deaths of civilians at checkpoints and near military convoys. 

This information is provided by our beneficiary partner, Genocide Intervention Network.  For more detailed information visit: Genocide Intervention Network