US, Allies Slam Taliban Conduct Code

KABUL -- A new Taliban code of military conduct that tells fighters to limit suicide attacks and avoid killing civilians is a sham that doesn't reflect the true nature of the insurgents, NATO and Afghan officials said today.

The code, entitled "Taliban 2009 rules and regulations booklet," is believed to have been published in May. Copies have been seized in operations throughout the country, NATO spokesman Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay said.

"It seems to be a form of propaganda to try to show there is a central control over the insurrection," he said.

The requirement for Taliban fighters to respect the rules of war contradicts the reality on the ground, Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, noting that Taliban fighters captured and beheaded an Afghan soldier this week in the eastern Paktika region.

Tremblay said insurgents have conducted at least 90 suicide bombings this year, and at least 40 percent of the victims were civilians. He also said that insurgents traffic children to use them as unknowing suicide bombers, and have destroyed at least 40 schools this year.

Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment today.

An Associated Press count of civilian deaths based on reports from Afghan and international officials shows that 453 civilians have been killed in insurgent attacks this year. The count also shows that 199 civilians have died from attacks by Afghan or international forces. An Afghan human rights group says an additional 69 civilians died during a U.S. attack in Farah province in May, but the U.S. disputes those deaths.

Meanwhile, a U.S. military service member died from a noncombat-related injury late Tuesday in western Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. It said the incident was under investigation and released no other information.

The death brings to 40 the number of U.S. troops who have died in the Afghan conflict this month. July has been the deadliest month for U.S. and NATO troops since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime.