Xinhua, November 4, 2010

229 Afghan civilians killed in October: official

"...it shows 15 percent increase in compare with the previous month"

Conflicts and militancy had claimed the lives of 229 civilians in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan in October, spokesman for Interior Ministry Zamari Bashari said on Thursday.

A man injured in a roadside bomb blast lies in hospital in Herat city, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. Three civilians died in the blast, police said.

"Two hundred twenty nine civilians had been killed in different security incidents with majority of them in Improvised Explosive Device (IED), roadside bombings and suicide attacks alone in October across the country, but unfortunately it shows 15 percent increase in compare with the previous month," Bashari told a press briefing here.

He also said 313 other civilians including women and children had been injured during the same period in 527 terrorist and violent attacks elsewhere in the country.

According to Bashari, 587 Taliban militants had been killed and 58 others wounded in October; while Afghan police arrested 445 militants over the same period of time.

He also stated that 114 police officers and soldiers had also been killed while 218 other police personnel were injured alone in October.

Taliban-led militancy and conflict have claimed the lives of over 1,300 civilians, according to reports in Afghanistan in the first six months of the year.

Bashari also added that 33 local private security firms had been banned and five international companies have been disarmed over the past one month.

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