There has been a sharp increase in militant attacks in Afghanistan, according to a new UN report.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there were 8,000 conflict-related deaths in 2007 at an average of 566 incidents per month.
That compares with 425 incidents per month during the previous year.
The report comes amid growing pressure by the United States on its Nato allies to commit more troops to Afghanistan, where fighting has raged this year.
According to the UN report nearly a fifth of the 8,000 fatalities last year were civilians.
Increasingly the Taleban and other militants are using Iraq-style insurgent tactics, including roadside attacks using improvised explosive devices, suicide bombs, assassinations and abductions.
Here's a related Feb. 1 BBC feature: Why the Taliban feel confident.
And this was a very sobering G&M article on Canada's mission: The Ugly Truth about Afghanistan.