Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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November 8, 2008

US Official: Taliban Tactics Deliberately Endanger Afghan Civilians
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Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says Taliban fighters also
adopting more terrorist-like tactics to undermine trust in government 
A top U.S. diplomat says Taliban militants in Afghanistan are
deliberately putting civilians in harms way when engaging coalition
forces. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said Taliban
fighters also are adopting more terrorist-like tactics to undermine
trust in the government. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Kabul. With
international confidence in Afghanistan's government faltering and
violence on the rise, Afghan officials recently have voiced as much
concern over civilian deaths from coalition forces as the rising power
of the Taliban. Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during press
conference at presidential palace in Kabul, 05 Nov 2008This week
President Karzai called on U.S. President elect Barack Obama to make
ending the civilian deaths a top priority when he takes office. He cited
an airstrike on Monday that Afghan officials says killed 37 civilians
and 26 militants in Kandahar. Many of the civilians were believed to be
part of a wedding party. U.!
 S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says Taliban fighters
appear to be choosing to attack coalition forces from civilian areas.
"We are dealing with an enemy that often deliberately inserts itself in
villages or compounds - the other day they were fighting from within a
wedding party and put them in harm's way. So it's very difficult to
avoid these incidents," he said. Boucher says U.S. officials are acutely
aware of the need to reduce civilian casualties and are examining ways
to use air power more responsibly. He says conducting more joint patrols
with Afghan forces has helped. Richard Boucher (file photo)"We do a lot
more now with Afghan troops," he said. "I think over half the operations
actually now have Afghan forces in the lead now - they tend to operate
with a little more cultural sensitivity that tends to reduce civilian
casualties."U.S. officials are considering a wide array of options to
counter the Taliban insurgency, including recruiting Afghan tribes!
  to turn against militants. Boucher said a key factor will be the gove
rnment's ability to conduct community outreach in Afghanistan's vast
rural areas, to try to undermine the local support base for the Taliban.


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