Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of the country once seen as safe because of the intensifying conflict.
Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of the country once seen as safe, because of the intensifying conflict.
A statement on behalf of 100 different non-governmental organisations pointed to a 50% increase in insurgent attacks compared to last year.
A statement by 100 aid agencies pointed to a 50% increase in insurgent attacks compared to last year.
Aid agencies were increasingly becoming targets, the NGOs said.
Aid agencies were increasingly becoming targets, they said.
This June saw more attacks on aid agencies than in any month since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001.
The groups also criticised the rising number of civilian deaths, which they said were caused mainly by insurgents but also by Nato air strikes.
Nineteen of their staff have been killed so far this year - more than in the whole of last year.
In a statement, the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (Acbar), an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations in Afghanistan, expressed its "grave concern about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the serious impact on civilians".
There was also criticism of the increasing number of civilians dying in the conflict - mostly caused by insurgents, but also by international forces who, the report says, have increased their use of air strikes.
'Systematic terror'
There is an urgent need for full support for the people of Afghanistan Matt Waldman policy advisor at Oxfam International
June saw more attacks on NGOs than in any month since the Taleban's overthrow in 2001 and some agencies have been forced to scale back operations, it said.
The NGOs' statement noted that insecurity had spread to "previously secure areas... including those close to Kabul".
Nineteen aid workers have been killed so far this year - more than during the whole of 2007, said Acbar.
Matt Waldman, policy advisor at Oxfam International, which is one of the 100 NGOs behind the statement, said the work of the agencies was essential.
About 260 civilians were killed in July alone, said the aid agencies
"Afghanistan is facing a drought," he told the BBC.
Some 2,500 people have been killed this year, up to 1,000 of them civilians, Acbar said.
"There is also a crisis with respect to food prices, which have gone up dramatically.
About 260 civilians were killed in July alone, a higher number than any other month in the past six years, according to the NGOs.
"There is an urgent need for full support for the people of Afghanistan, particularly in remote rural areas, and this increasing insecurity is threatening the ability of aid agencies to reach out to those areas."
"So far this year the number of insurgent attacks, bombings and other violent incidents is up by approximately 50% on the same period last year," it said.
Two-thirds of reported civilian casualties could be attributed to insurgent activities, estimated Acbar, "especially the increasing use of suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas and the use of civilian property from which to launch attacks".
But they said the growing number of air strikes by international military forces, up by about 40% on last year, had also contributed.
Taleban insurgents in the south and east of the country were "mounting an increasingly vigorous, systematic terror campaign of threats, abductions and executions aimed against members of the civilian population".
Acbar said there had been 463 insurgent attacks in May and 569 in June.
The statement noted that insecurity had spread to previously secure areas, including parts close to the capital, Kabul.
Matt Waldman, policy adviser at Oxfam International, one of the NGOs behind the statement, said the work of the agencies was essential.
"Afghanistan is facing a drought," he told the BBC. "There is also a crisis with respect to food prices, which have gone up dramatically."
The number of international troops in Afghanistan has gone up by more than 10,000 in the last year to some 71,000 and Afghan troop levels are estimated to have risen by around the same number.
Nato commanders have said violence is up by some 40% in eastern Afghanistan since spring this year, partly due to troops patrolling more areas.
Are you an aid worker in Afghanistan? Have you been affected by the violence? Tell us about your experience using the form below:
Are you an aid worker in Afghanistan? Have you been affected by the violence? Tell us about your experience using the form below:
