By Xinhua
Geneva : The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is worse than it was a year ago as civilians suffer horribly from mounting threat to their security, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
Since 2006 the conflict pitting Afghan government and US and NATO forces against the armed opposition has significantly intensified in the south and east of the country and is spreading to the north and west, the Geneva-based aid agency said Tuesday.
There have been more and more civilian casualties due to the increasing numbers of roadside bombs and suicide attacks, and regular aerial bombing raids, it said.
The civilians also lack access to basic services and "it is incredibly difficult for ordinary Afghans to lead a normal life," said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations.
According to Kraehenbuehl, there has been a steady deterioration of medical services in Afghanistan's remote areas, where important needs are still unmet. "The civilians most in need are also the most difficult to reach."
While development work is crucial to the future of Afghanistan, the persistence of armed conflict means that many civilians remain in dire need of emergency assistance, ICRC said.
Against this worrying backdrop, the ICRC and the Afghan Red Crescent Society are stepping up their efforts to protect and assist the most vulnerable, in particular by actively helping local medical facilities to cope with the increasing number of war-wounded in the south and east.
In addition, the ICRC is visiting more and more people detained by the Afghan authorities or international forces in connection with the armed conflict — 2,424 over the past year — in order to ensure that they are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law.