By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated and may worsen this year in the face of a renewed Taliban insurgency, the U.N. chief said in a report published on Friday.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his latest report to the Security Council on U.N. activities in Afghanistan that 2009 would be a critical year. He added there were reasons for medium-term optimism.
"The government, security forces and population of Afghanistan, along with its international partners, face a critical test in 2009," the report said.
"Security has continued to deteriorate. The results of government and international aid efforts have fallen short of popular expectations as Afghans suffer the effects of drought and a global rise in food prices."
Violence is at its highest level in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.
U.S. President Barack Obama is sending 17,000 more troops to the country, most to the south and east where thousands of foreign soldiers are already on the ground fighting an increasingly tenacious insurgency.
Ban's report said the rule of law in Afghanistan was "insufficiently institutionalized" and abuses were not taken as seriously as they should be. He also referred to reports of rampant corruption in the government.
Another problem was the rise in civilian deaths. The number of civilians killed rose 40 percent last year to 2,118. Most of the deaths were caused by insurgents, but 39 percent were caused by international and Afghan government forces, Ban said.
"While there are many reasons to believe that security in Afghanistan will worsen in 2009, there are also reasons for medium term optimism," Ban's report said.
"A judicious deployment of additional international troops, with its primary goal being the security of the Afghan people, will be a welcome development," he said.
The report said the troop increase could increase the number of trainers for Afghan security forces and help make the country more secure during the country's upcoming elections.
Other grounds for optimism are the Interior Ministry's plans to reform the ministry and police and U.N. forecasts for a 20 to 30 percent decrease in poppy production and a possible increase in the number of poppy-free provinces, Ban said.
Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's heroin from its opium poppy crops.
Other concerns included the increasing subjection of women in public life to threats and intimidation. He also said free expression "remains precarious, with continued reports of intimidation of journalists by state and non-state actors."
The Security Council is expected to renew the mandate for the U.N. mission in Afghanistan later this month. Ban's report recommends extending it for another year.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
