UN: Violence in the Afghan war is increasing with 40%

As the Wall Street Journal reports, Violence in the Afghan war is increasing, with 39% more security incidents in the first eight months of 2011 compared with the same period last year, according to a new United Nations report.

The report says armed clashes and explosions from homemade bombs accounted for the majority of security incidents. The average number of security incidents per month reached 2,108 from January to August compared with the period in 2010.

Coalition officials say insurgent attacks fell 20% in July from July 2010. By the end of August, according to the coalition, violence had fallen in 12 of the previous 16 weeks when compared with the same weeks of last year.

There were 971 civilians deaths and 1,411 injuries recorded from June to August this year, up 5% from a year ago, according to the U.N. Earlier, the U.N. reported a 15% rise in civilian casualties in the first six months of this year compared with the first half of 2010.
Insurgent groups are responsible for the vast majority of civilian casualties, the new U.N. report said.

"The increase can be attributed, in the context of overall intensified fighting, mainly to the use by antigovernment elements of land mine-like pressure plate improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks, in violation of international humanitarian law," the report said.

Improvised explosive devices, or homemade bombs, continued to be the weapon of choice for insurgents and contributed to 45% of all civilian casualties in the first eight months of this year, a 177% rise from the 2010 period, the source reports.