Violence Increases in Afghanistan

A new UN report discusses the increase in violence in Afghanistan:

KABUL -- Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated markedly in recent months, with a spike in roadside bombs, complex attacks and assassinations, according to a U.N. report released Saturday.

The report comes as the U.S. military is deploying an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan this summer in an effort to quell a rebounding insurgency.

The surge in violence has prompted U.S. lawmakers to ask pointed questions about the Obama administration's Afghanistan strategy, while U.S. commanders have urged caution, saying that they are making progress under difficult circumstances.

Roadside bomb attacks during the first four months of the year increased by an "alarming" 94 percent, compared with the same period last year, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in the organization's quarterly report to the Security Council.

The United Nations also reported a 45 percent increase in assassinations, saying an average of seven people were killed each week during the first four months of the year. Most of the assassinations occurred in southern and eastern provinces, where several government officials have been killed in recent months.

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