AFGHANISTAN
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN
Head of state and government: Hamid Karzai
Death penalty: retentionist
Population: 28.2 million
Life expectancy: 42.9 years
Under-5 mortality (m/f): 232/237 per 1,000
Adult literacy: 28 per cent
Millions of people living in southern and eastern Afghanistan were terrorized by the Taleban, other insurgent groups and local militias ostensibly allied with the government. Insecurity further restricted their already limited access to food, health care, and schooling. Indiscriminate attacks, abductions and the targeting of civilians reached unprecedented levels. The Taleban and other anti-government groups significantly expanded their attacks to cover more than a third of the country, including areas once considered relatively safe in the centre and the north. Increased military attacks between anti-government groups and US and NATO troops resulted in more than 2,000 civilian deaths. The government failed to maintain the rule of law or to provide basic services to millions of people even in areas under its control.
