Afghan civilian deaths up 60 per cent

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of civilians killed in fighting between insurgents and security forces in Afghanistan has soared by two-thirds in the first half of this year, to almost 700 people, a senior UN official said Sunday.

The figures are a grim reminder of how the nearly seven-year war has failed to stabilize the country and suggest that ordinary civilians are bearing a heavy toll, particularly from stepped-up militant attacks.

... NATO's reaction to the UN figures was cool.

“The UN Human Rights rapporteur made an accusation (in May) that we had killed 200, and I said then that those numbers were far, far higher than we would recognize, and that is still the case,” said Mark Laity, a spokesman for the alliance in Kabul.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080629.wafghancivilians0629/BNStory/Afghanistan/home

[LynnTheDem]

1. George W. bUsh; losing two wars at the same time.

Not content at merely being a loser, George goes big time, with more deaths to his name than Osama bin Laden.

Heck of a job, george.

MFer.