12. Condemns in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan, and condemns further the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields;
13. Reiterates its concern about all civilian casualties, calls for compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law and for all appropriate steps to be taken to ensure the protection of civilians, and recognizes in this context the robust efforts taken by ISAF and other international forces to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, notably the continuous review of tactics and procedures and the conduct of after-action reviews in cooperation with the Afghan Government in cases where civilian casualties have reportedly occurred;
14. Expresses its strong concern about the recruitment and use of children by Taliban forces in Afghanistan as well as the killing and maiming of children as a result of the conflict, reiterates its strong condemnation of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law and all other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict, and stresses the importance of implementing Security Council resolution 1612 (2005); in this context, requests the Secretary-General to strengthen the child protection component of UNAMA, in particular through the appointment of child protection advisers;
15. Stresses the importance of increasing, in a comprehensive framework, the functionality, professionalism and accountability of the Afghan security sector through training, mentoring and empowerment efforts, in order to accelerate progress towards the goal of self-sufficient and ethnically balanced Afghan security forces providing security and ensuring the rule of law throughout the country;
16. Welcomes in this context the continued progress in the development of the Afghan National Army and its improved ability to plan and undertake operations, and encourages sustained training efforts, including through the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTS), and advise in developing a sustainable defence planning process as well as assistance in defence reform initiatives;
17. Calls for further efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Afghan National Police in order to reinforce the authority of the Afghan Government throughout the country, welcomes the increasing role played by the International Police Coordination Board in policy setting and coordination, and stresses the importance, in this context, of the contribution of the European Union through its police mission (EUPOL Afghanistan);
18. Calls for further progress in the implementation by the Afghan Government, with support from the international community, of the programme of disbandment of illegal armed groups (DIAG);
19. Expresses its concern at the serious harm that increasing opium cultivation, production and trafficking causes to the security, development and governance of Afghanistan as well as to the region and internationally; calls on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to accelerate the implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy as discussed at the JCMB meeting held in Tokyo in February 2008, in particular at the local level, and to mainstream counter-narcotics throughout national programmes; encourages
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