ISAF to stop reporting Afghan attack figures

International coalition says it will still collect information on Taliban attacks but not publish them online.

Afghan suicice blast
ISAF said the coalition's figures will become increasingly inaccurate as Afghans conduct more combat operations [AFP]

The US-led military coalition in Afghanistan has announced it will no longer publish figures related to attacks by the Taliban.

Tuesday’s announcement comes a week after it acknowledged an incorrect reporting of a seven percent decline in attacks by the group in 2012.

Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, ISAF, said that attacks observed by coalition forces will still be recorded, but the overall number will not be tallied or published online.

Graybeal said the coalition’s figures will become increasingly inaccurate because Afghans are conducting most combat operations.

Last week The Associated Press news agency revealed that the coalition had determined that its original report of a 7 percent decline was wrong and that there actually was no decline at all for 2012. It blamed a clerical error.

Graybeal said the corrected 2012 figures will not be published.

Source: AP