Over 80 per cent suicide bombers in Afghanistan trained in Pakistan

More than 80 per cent of suicide bombers in Afghanistan are recruited and trained in Pakistan, the United Nations said in its report.

Kabul, Sep : More than 80 per cent of suicide bombers in Afghanistan are recruited and trained in Pakistan, the United Nations said in its report.

The report stressed that many if not most of the attackers were Afghan nationals, it also underlined the importance of refugee camps and Islamic schools (madrassas) in tribal areas of Pakistan in the recruitment and training of the bombers.

"The phenomenon of suicide attacks in Afghanistan is inherently linked to a variety of structures and institutions across the border in Pakistan," it said.

"Over 80 per cent" of bombers pass through training facilities in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, the report added.

Most of the perpetrators in Afghanistan are poor, young and uneducated, according to the report, which was based on interviews with failed attackers in Afghanistan, other militants and security officials.

The report urged the US and other NATO forces to try and prevent civilian casualties, avoid humiliating property searches, and if possible deploy forces from Muslim nations as ways to blunt support for the bombers.

"The first line of defence consists of understanding and removing 'root causes' that create demand for terrorism," the report said.

"Without dedicated efforts to destroy safe havens and bastions of support across the border, violence in Afghanistan is unlikely to disappear," the Daily Times quoted report, as saying.

ANI