Mr. Kubis said that 475 civilians were killed and 872 wounded between January 1 and March 31 of this year.
The UN envoy called on anti-government groups "to cease targeting civilians, using children in suicide operations and attacking public places including places of worship."
The sharp spike in casualties among Afghan civilians and Afghan security forces comes as U.S and coalition troops continue to hand over more and more security responsibilities to the Afghan troops - and it raises concerns as to whether the Afghan forces will be able to secure the country after President Obama's 2014 exit [capitulation] strategy is consummated.
The AP noted on Sunday:
[Taliban] insurgents killed six police officers at a checkpoint and a suicide bomber killed three civilians at a shopping bazaar in separate attacks Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, while an independent security group warned 2013 is on track to be one of the most violent years of the war.
April already has been the deadliest month this year for security forces and Afghan and foreign civilians as the U.S. and other countries prepare to end their combat mission by the end of next year.
According to an Associated Press tally, 222 people have been killed in violence around the nation this month, including Sunday's nine fatalities....
On Friday, Taliban insurgents attacked a local police checkpoint in Andar, a district of Ghazni province..., and killed 13 officers...
In other violence, the Taliban cut a hand and foot off each of two villagers they accused of helping escort coalition convoys...
Hostilities have surged in Afghanistan as the spring fighting season begins. This year is being closely watched because Afghan forces must operate with less support from the international military coalition. With foreign forces due to hand over combat responsibilities to the local forces next year, the current fighting is a test of their ability to take on the country's insurgency.
Reflecting the rise in bloodshed, the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office said Sunday there were 2,331 insurgent-initiated attacks in the first quarter of this year, a 47 percent increase over the same January-March period last year. "We assess that the current re-escalation trend will be preserved throughout the entire season and that 2013 is set to become the second most violent year after 2011," which suffered 2,755 such attacks in the first three months of the year, the report said.
The U.S.-led NATO coalition has stopped releasing statistics on insurgent attacks in Afghanistan...
The rise of violence that his organization reported in early 2013 should raise serious concern... about whether Afghan forces can fill the gap being left by the reduction in U.S.-led international forces, said Tomas Muzik, the director of the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office.
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According to an Associated Press tally, 222 people have been killed in violence around the nation this month, including Sunday's nine fatalities....
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