Halt Afghan civilian casualties, UN says after report of 11 killed by government

The United Nations said on Wednesday it was gravely concerned aboutreports indicating11civilians had beenkilledin anAfghansecurity force operation in an eastern province near the border with Pakistan.

CiviliancasualtiesinAfghanistan have been increasing, despite attempts by the United States and the Taliban to negotiate an agreement to end the 18-year war.

Thegovernment's main security agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said the operation in Paktia province had targeted a Taliban hideout and among the11dead militants were two commanders.

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TheUN Assistance Mission inAfghanistan said it was gravely concerned at the killings during a search operation and a human rights team was investigating.

"Accountability essential. Harm tocivilians must stop," the agency said in a post on Twitter.

A politician in the area said thegovernmentforces attacked a student gathering over the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday.

"A university student had invited his classmates for dinner," Allah Mir Khan Bahramzoi, a provincial council member in Paktia, told Reuters.

"Late in the evening, security forces surrounded the house, brought out the victims from the guesthouse and shot them one by one," he said by telephone from the province.

The NDS said weapons and ammunition were seized in the raid.

"This operation was conducted based on operative information on a Taliban hideout center and it left nociviliancasualties," the agency said in a statement.

The United Nationssaysnearly 4,000civilians werekilledor wounded in the first half of the year.
The toll included a big increase in the number ofcasualtiesinflicted bygovernment and US-led foreign forces.

Ground raids and clashes caused the mostciviliancasualties, followed by bomb attacks and airstrikes, UNAMA said in areportlast month.

There has been no let-up in violence, even though the Taliban and the United States have bothreported significant progress in talks on a pact for US troops to withdraw in exchange for a Taliban promise thatAfghanistan will not be used as a base for militant attacks.

Their latest round of talks ended on Monday without a final agreement. No date has been announced for the next round