The year 2007 has reportedly been the most violent year in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion. Media reports quoted an internal UN mid-year review as saying that incidents of violence in 2007 were higher than the previous year, which, since the invasion, had so far been the country's most violent one. According to the UN report there were 525 security incidents every month during the first half of the year, up from an average of 425 incidents per month in 2006. These violent incidents range from attacks by the Taliban and other militant groups to bombings and abductions.

The Institute of War and Peace Reporting in 2007 stated that, while international attention is mostly focused on the south of Afghanistan, in the northern parts of the country warlords use violence and intimidation to maintain their hold on civilians. It quoted human rights groups as saying that the government did not seem capable of resisting the power of the commanders, who constantly engaged in brutal assaults and abductions. There is limited information on the ethnic and religious affiliations of the victims of violence and human rights abuses in Afghanistan. However, based on the country's past record, it can be concluded that minorities are significantly affected by the violence, particularly in situations of anarchy where warlords/militia leaders are in control.

Limited reports indicate that ethnic tensions are also on the rise in volatile parts of the country. In mid-2007, several people were killed and hundreds displaced over clashes between nomadic Pashtun Kochis and Hazara settlers of Behsood District in Afghanistan's central Wardak province. The clashes were over access to pastures. In July a UN-brokered ceasefire was signed between the two groups, demanding that Kochis temporarily withdraw from the areas; but even UN officials warned that the agreement was a short-term solution.

Antagonism towards ethnic groups in Afghanistan exists at the highest political level, as was evident in the threats directed at the country's independent Human Rights Commission by parliamentarians. In September 2007, MPs in the lower house of parliament voted to restrict the Commission's autonomy, accusing the body of 'political and ethnic bias'. Amanullah Paiman, an Afghan MP, was quoted by the UN IRIN news agency as saying that the Commission repeatedly deviated from its mandate by favouring sectarian and political groups. The Commission leadership has however warned that Afghanistan would be in breach of its international commitment to human rights if the MPs got their way. The fate of the Commission now lies in the hands of the upper house of parliament and the president.

A report released by the Afghan Human Rights Commission in August 2007 on economic and social rights showed that a large majority of the Afghan population suffered from glaring rights violations, including lacking the basics, such as the right to food, water, education and health. Minorities were included in the survey, although the findings were not ethnically disaggregated. The main finding that was specific to ethnicity was that 17 per cent of people who said they felt left out of development projects attributed it to their ethnic or tribal origin.

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