Figures from the Iraqi government show that civilian deaths from violence in Iraq fell by more than half in September compared to the previous month.

Afghan officials and residents say civilians are among the dead and wounded following U.S. coalition airstrikes in southern Afghanistan.

The UN Security Council has urged all forces in Afghanistan to do everything they can to avoid civilian deaths. The 15-member council also condemned Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents for killing innocent Afghans in suicide bombings and using civilians as "human shields" during battles.

The United Nations says it estimates that about 600 Afghan civilians have been killed in insurgency-linked violence this year, just over half of them by pro-government forces.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned "indiscriminate and unprecise" operations by NATO and U.S.-led forces that have killed some 90 civilians in just over a week.

Dutch military chief General Dick Berlijn says Taliban fighters were executing civilians who refused to fight alongside them during a battle earlier this month.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says security in Afghanistan has deteriorated over the last year, with civilians bearing the brunt of a rise in violence between international forces and insurgents.

U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to his Texas ranch on May 21, where the two men discussed a range of issues, including the war in Afghanistan, Kosovo's final status, and NATO enlargement.

A U.S. military commander used an appropriate level of force and demonstrated sound judgment during a battle last month in Afghanistan that Afghan officials say killed dozens of civilians. That is the conclusion of a U.S. military investigation into the incident as we hear from VOA correspondent Meredith Buel in Washington.

Germany is calling for a review of the tactics used by international forces in Afghanistan after a series of civilian deaths in recent weeks.

NATO's top commander in Afghanistan has confirmed that a battle between U.S. forces and Taliban in southern Afghanistan resulted in civilian casualties.

The U.S. military has opened an investigation into allegations that scores of civilians were killed recently in fighting between U.S. and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. The reports coincide with mounting public pressure on President Hamid Karzai and his international allies over noncombatant deaths as a violent insurgency continues.