By Abdul Haleem, Lin Jing

    KABUL, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Like the past years, Afghanistan has been experiencing unabated security incidents since the beginning of 2008, making it another year of standstill of the Washington-led costly war on terror.

    Soaring conflicts and Taliban-related insurgency have claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people, including some 2,000 civilians, so far this year despite the deployment of over 70,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) andt he U.S.-led Coalition troops in Afghanistan.

    Increasing civilian casualties, arrogant attitude of U.S troops toward Afghan people and government as well as the failing White House strategy have been put under heavy fire for the bogged situation.

    SPIKING CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

    "Winning the minds and hearts of Afghans is essential for winning the war on terror," said a war veteran and military analyst, General (Rrd) Noorul Haq Aloomi, warning that uncoordinated military operation which in many cases claimed non-combatants' lives has kept tarnishing the image of international troops and the reputation of the government.

    Hundreds of civilians have been killed in such attacks over the past seven years and the latest bloodsheds were the killing of 91 people including women and children in Shind and district, west of Afghanistan, in August and that of 37 others in November when U.S. aircraft raided a wedding party in southern Kandahar province.

    Noorul Haq, who is also the chief of Defense Committee of Lower House of Afghan parliament, criticized the U.S.-led alliance for carrying out military operations on their own intelligence reports without informing Afghan troops.

    "If U.S. wants to win the war on terror, it has to develop a comprehensive strategy in coordination with Afghan government, avoid harming civilians and enhance the operational capacity of Afghan national security forces," he said.

    Echoing Noorul Haq's voice, another Afghan analyst and human right activist Qasim Akhgar said: "the costly war against terrorism has failed to deliver and that is why the dispersed and defeated Taliban insurgents have regrouped and gradually changed to a threatening force."