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Attacks on Aid Workers Rise in Afghanistan, U.N. SaysParwiz/ReutersAn Afghan police officer on duty at the Jalalabad compound of the International Committee of the Red Cross after an attack in May. By ROD NORDLANDPublished: December 2, 2013 FacebookTwitterGoogle+SaveEmailSharePrintSingle PageReprintsKABUL, Afghanistan — The number of aid workers killed in Afghanistan has more than tripled this year, making the country by far the most dangerous place in the world for relief work, according to data released by United Nations officials here. Connect With Us on TwitterFollow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.Twitter List: Reporters and EditorsOfficials were reluctant to attribute the increase to any single factor. But in a number of recent cases, Taliban insurgents have openly claimed responsibility — despite espousing an official policy that rejects attacks on humanitarian workers. “We are looking at the situation with concern about what are clearly increasing numbers of aid workers affected by the conflict,” said Mark Bowden, the humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations here. Through November, he said, there were 237 attacks on Afghanistan’s aid workers, with 36 people killed, 46 wounded and 96 detained or abducted. Last year, there were 175 attacks, with 11 people killed, 26 wounded and 44 detained or abducted. “The nature of the fighting has changed,” Mr. Bowden said. “You have more disseminated ground-level fighting than you’ve had before, and this has come as a result of a change of tactics by handing over the fighting to the Afghan national security forces. So civilian casualties have increased dramatically this year, so obviously you’re seeing more widespread displacement of people as well.” International aid makes up a vast majority of Afghan economic activity. And continuing such assistance after the 2014 American military withdrawal is a central part of security planning. “I think it’s just that we don’t have any more ISAF in the field, so these people who are on a jihad, they need someone to attack — so we are the target because we are out there,” said the head of a humanitarian organization, who did not wish to be named criticizing any side in the conflict. ISAF is the International Security Assistance Force, the American-led military coalition. Some other aid officials have also been reluctant to directly blame insurgent groups for the increase in attacks. “I’m really worried,” said Justine Piquemal, the director of Acbar, a group that represents many of the country’s leading nongovernmental organizations doing relief work. “Because, unfortunately, figures show clearly we are the very worst place in the world for aid workers.” She said it was impossible to be sure whom to blame, saying in many cases that attacks seemed to stem from criminal behavior. Her organization, using different definitions for aid workers, counted 32 fatalities this year. Data compiled by the Aid Worker Security Database, a project financed by the United States Agency for International Development, also using different definitions of aid workers, showed 75 attacks in 2013, compared with 56 in 2012 — the most of any country. (South Sudan was the second worst, with 25.) That is partly because the aid community in Afghanistan is much larger than in most other countries, with 2,320 groups registered with the Afghan government employing 90,000 people. A vast majority of those are Afghans, with only 3,337 foreigners registered, said Sayed Hashim Basirat, the head of the government’s NGO registration office. For the past five years, the number of foreign aid workers in Afghanistan has declined as security concerns have deterred many groups from sending foreigners into areas where the Taliban are contesting territory. Officially, the Taliban say there has been no change in their policy of avoiding attacks on aid workers. “In the places which are under our control, there aren’t any incidents,” Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said by telephone. “We do not target those NGO workers who aren’t working for the foreigners.” Yet when six workers with a French aid group were shot to death in their car in northern Faryab Province on Wednesday, a survivor of the ambush said the armed men who carried out the attack made sure each of the workers, all Afghans, were dead. In a statement on a Taliban website dated Wednesday, the insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack on the group, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, naming them but giving no explanation. Connect With Us on TwitterFollow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.Twitter List: Reporters and EditorsThe French group has worked in Afghanistan for about 20 years on many rural projects in conflict areas and has no association with the military. Speaking for her group, Acbar, Ms. Piquemal said that so far, the increased attacks were not forcing cuts in programs or preventing aid workers from doing their jobs. Her organization’s 133 member groups work in every province of Afghanistan, she said. Others, however, say the effects are already being felt. “There is a remarkable decrease in registration of Afghan NGOs that receive funds from donors,” Mr. Basirat said. “We believe this is because donors are worried about the present situation.” Ahmad Ibrahim Haidari, the director of the Afghan Bureau for Reconstruction, said: “Due to the targeting of NGO workers these days, it is hard for us to convince our Afghan staff to travel outside major cities. And the recent incident in Faryab doubled that concern.” Mr. Haidari said his group had already ceased operations in Wardak and Logar Provinces because of security concerns. “Our vehicles have been fired at, our equipment confiscated,” he said. Some aid workers say they are feeling a growing threat not only from insurgents and criminals, but also sometimes from Afghan government forces and even, on occasion, from the American-led coalition. Andreas Stefansson, the country director for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, said that at least 10 times this year, Afghan and Western soldiers — mostly thought to be Special Operations units — had occupied or searched medical clinics that the group operates. He said the actions were clear violations of Geneva Conventions that put medical facilities themselves off limits to armed parties, even if insurgents go there for treatment. Mr. Stefansson said that while the episodes rarely lasted more than a few days, he said, they have made it increasingly dangerous for the group’s staff to operate in conflict areas. “The local population don’t trust the impartiality of the clinic,” he said. “If you end up having armed troops patrolling in and around these places, you disrupt the trust you have.” Later on Monday, ISAF released a statement on the issue. “In accordance with international law, ISAF recognizes health or medical facilities as protected structures. ISAF forces do not intentionally use medical facilities as firebases or lodging, or for any other military use,” it said, adding, “Insurgent forces, on the other hand, have used protected structures contrary to international law and conducted operations from them.” ................
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