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Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Libya's Gaddafi survives air strikes, son killed - government | 2:11am EDT Libyan leader's son Saif al-Arab killed in NATO strike 30 Apr 2011 Syrians protest from rooftops after army action | 30 Apr 2011 Escaped prisoner shoots four in Mass. rampage 30 Apr 2011 Sony to resume some PlayStation services; apologizes for breach 2:46am EDT Discussed 102 White House releases longer Obama birth certificate 85 Donald Trump calls U.S. leaders ”stupid” 50 Woman mauled to death by pit bulls in New Mexico Watched Fire ants form rafts to defy floods Tue, Apr 26 2011 Libyan leader's son Saif al-Arab killed in NATO strike 1:19am EDT Kate's wedding party evening gown Fri, Apr 29 2011 U.N. urges all to avoid civilian harm as Taliban begin offensive Tweet Share this By Rob Taylor KABUL (Reuters) - The United Nations in Afghanistan has issued a plea for all sides to avoid civilian casualties after the Taliban opened a stepped-up campaign of violence with a suicide bombing that killed four people in the country's... Email Print Related News Afghan Taliban declare start to spring offensive Sat, Apr 30 2011 Bomb hits Pakistan navy bus, third this week Thu, Apr 28 2011 NATO strikes in Misrata but shelling resumes Wed, Apr 27 2011 Nine killed in Kabul attack were Americans: Pentagon Wed, Apr 27 2011 Analysis: Brazen Afghan jailbreak may have dire consequences Wed, Apr 27 2011 Analysis & Opinion Iranian dissidents and a U.S. dilemma Taliban finding clarity as NATO struggles to deliver message Related Topics World » Afghanistan » United Nations » Related Video Taliban to launch spring offensive Sat, Apr 30 2011 By Rob Taylor KABUL | Sun May 1, 2011 1:34am EDT KABUL (Reuters) - The United Nations in Afghanistan has issued a plea for all sides to avoid civilian casualties after the Taliban opened a stepped-up campaign of violence with a suicide bombing that killed four people in the country's southeast. The hardline Islamists have warned civilians to stay away from public gatherings, military bases and convoys, as well as government centers and buildings, as these would be the focus of a wave of attacks beginning on Sunday. "Parties to the conflict must not deliberately attack, target or kill civilians, or indiscriminately harm them," said Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. chief in Afghanistan, in a statement released late on Saturday. "We call on all parties to take all possible measures to protect civilians, especially in the forthcoming months when we expect, unfortunately, intensified conflict," he said. In Paktika province, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew up himself in Barmal district, killing four civilians including a local council leader and wounding 12 others, said provincial governor's spokesman Mukhlis Afghan. One of those killed was a woman. Senior military commanders have been expecting a spike in violence with the arrival of the spring and summer "fighting season," although the usual winter lull was not seen as U.S-led forces pressed their attacks against insurgents, particularly in the Taliban's southern heartland. Senior military officials say recent intelligence reports indicate the fresh campaign of increased violence will last about a week and be mounted by the Taliban, supported by the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network and other insurgents. Security has been increased at military bases and government offices, while in Kabul extra police have been stationed at so-called ring of steel security checkpoints around the city to search vehicles. The Taliban said in a statement on Saturday the targets of the attacks would be foreign forces, high-ranking officials of President Hamid Karzai's government, members of the cabinet and lawmakers, as well as the heads of companies working for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). While Washington and ISAF commanders believe they have made inroads against a growing insurgency since 30,000 extra U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan last year, the violence has shown little sign of abating. Attacks across Afghanistan hit record levels in 2010, with civilian and military casualties the worst since U.S-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001. The United Nations said it had relocated some of its staff in Afghanistan after receiving what it said were credible threats of increased attacks in several locations around the country. The United Nations has been the target of several insurgent attacks over the past two years and seven international staff were killed last month when protesters overran a U.N. compound in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. De Mistura said indiscriminate use of bombs by the Taliban in cities and elsewhere had caused huge numbers of civilian casualties, while air strikes by the NATO-led force had also caused many deaths. The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in 2010 rose 15 percent from the previous year to 2,777, according to the United Nations, with insurgents responsible for about three-quarters of those deaths. "Afghan civilians have paid the price of war for too long - it is more urgent than ever that all parties act to prevent this suffering and that in the forthcoming spring we also see a surge in protection of civilians," de Mistura said. (Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Andrew Marshall) World Afghanistan United Nations Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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