KABUL | Sun 1 May 2011, 8: 28 am EDT
KABUL (Reuters)-insurgents under the leadership of the Taliban at least 11 people killed in Afghanistan in a renewed springtime offensive on Sunday despite a huge security clampdown, hours after the United Nations pleaded for all parties to avoid civilian casualties.
The hardline Islamists have warned citizens to stay away from public gatherings, military bases and convoys, as well as the Government offices, because these sites would be the target of a wave of attacks begins on Sunday.
Both sides of the conflict have vowed to protect civilians – the civilian toll hit record levels in 2010--but more than half of the deaths on Sunday were ordinary Afghans.
"Our mission is to ensure that citizens and Afghan people are not affected by now 11 years of conflict," said Staffan de Mistura, the head of the UN in Afghanistan, Reuters Television in his heavily guarded compound in the capital Kabul.
"What we are concerned about, and I believe that every Afghan is concerned about is whether the Afghans and Afghan citizens will again the victims of a long conflict," said de Mistura.
The vast majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are caused by insurgents, figures from the United Nations and other human rights groups Show, although there are still many caused by foreign hunting militants with air strikes and night raids.
The increasingly sophisticated Taliban communication network quickly wanted to Mistura's comments. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid foreign troops must also protection of citizens and their "rising atrocities" stop.
CHILD BOMBER
The new wave of attacks began early on Sunday with what appeared to be a surprising and rare tactic--the use of a bomber kid in the dangerous South Eastern Province of Paktika.
The bomber, wearing a vest packed with explosives, four civilians were killed and 12 wounded, said a Government spokesman of the. A statement from the Office of the Governor of Paktika province, near the borders with Pakistan, said that the bomber was 12 years old.
In neighboring Ghazni, two police and two civilians were killed in a gunfight after insurgents opened fire on a passing police vehicle in the main city of the province, police said. A bomb planted on a bicycle near Ghazni police headquarters injured 13.
In the South of volatile forces the Governor of the province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, thousands of security ordered on high alert, with police and Afghan soldiers manning checkpoints at each roundabout in Kandahar city.
Gunmen on a motorcycle killed an Afghan soldier in Kandahar. In Logar Province, South of Kabul, were two members of a Community police unit killed by a roadside bomb, police officials said.
Military commanders expect a spike in violence with the onset of spring and summer "fighting season", although the usual winter lull was not seen as u. S-led forces pressed their attacks against the insurgents, especially in the southern heartland of the Taliban.
Suppressing violence has taken on even greater importance this year, with a gradual withdrawal of foreign combat troops set to begin in July as part of a transfer to Afghan security forces. That withdrawal is set to be completed by the end of 2014.
Senior military officials say recent intelligence reports give the fresh campaign of violence would last about a week and be mounted by the Taliban, supported by the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network and other insurgents.
Security is increased at military bases and Government buildings throughout the country, while in Kabul extra police at checkpoints known as "the ring of steel" are stationed.
The Taliban said on Saturday the objectives of their attacks would foreign troops, senior officials of the Government of President Hamid Karzai, also companies work for the NATO-led ISAF International Security Assistance Force ().
Washington and ISAF commanders believe that they breach against a growing rebellion have been made since last year were 30,000 extra u.s. troops sent to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan attacks very hit record levels in 2010, with civilian and military victims of the worst since u. s.-backed Afghan forces the Taliban Government was overthrown in late 2001.
The United Nations has some of its staff in Afghanistan moved after receiving what is being said credible threat of increasing attacks in various locations across the country.
The United Nations is several times the target. Seven foreign staff were killed last month when demonstrators overran a UN compound in the North.
De Mistura said indiscriminate use of bombs by the Taliban in cities and elsewhere had caused huge numbers of victims among the civilian population, while air raid by the NATO-led force had also caused many deaths.
The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in 2010 rose 15 percent from the previous year to 2,777, according to figures from un with responsible for about three quarters of the insurgents. "Afghan citizens have paid the price of war for too long," said de Mistura.
(Additional reporting by Ismail Sameem in KANDAHAR; Written by Paul Tait; Edit by Andrew Marshall)
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