2006 the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since fall of Taliban

According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, “2006 was the deadliest year for civilians in Afghanistan since 2001,” The Associated Press reported today.

The newly released 116-page report says that approximately 669 Afghan civilians were killed last year by insurgents and at least 230 civilians were killed during coalition and NATO operations. The high civilian death toll in 2006 can be partially explained by the drastic increase in suicide bombings, which hadn’t previously been a common Taliban tactic. As such, those who worked on the report drew parallels between the Taliban’s current activities and insurgents operations in Iraq.
This year, there were also a growing number of direct attacks on teachers, school officials, students, aid workers, journalists, and government employees.

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