A/HRC/4/98* page 8 26. More than 15,000 families have been displaced from Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar provinces; numbers are likely to increase with the spread of fighting to other areas. Their return to their places of origin and residence is seriously hindered by ongoing fighting in the areas, intimidation and fear of being killed by Taliban insurgents, and destruction of homes and livelihoods. In addition, the void in the rule of law that accompanies conflict means that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses are not held accountable. A. Attacks by anti-Government elements affecting civilians 27. Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces are the epicentre of much of the violence. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the great majority of suicide attacks in Kandahar. They conducted deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, targeted high-profile government officials, humanitarian workers and private contractors, and assumed control of some districts in Helmand for a short period. Major offensives by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces were launched in districts of Kandahar, Kunar and Helmand and parts of the south-east. Development activities have been severely hindered in these areas, with agencies partially or completely withdrawing. 28. Fear and insecurity have been further entrenched with the distribution of letters purported to be written by the Taliban warning Afghans of deadly reprisals if they are found working for the international aid community or military forces. Seven civilians working for the United States Coalition Forces (US CF) were killed by an improvised explosive device on a minibus in June in Kandahar; 21 civilians were killed in two separate attacks in Helmand; 4 labourers working for US CF were abducted and found dead in Kunar Province; 5 family members, including 2 female teachers, were killed in their home in December in Narang District, Kunar. Unverified reports were also received of Taliban-enforced justice in a few districts in Uruzgan and Helmand. In December 2006, four Afghans were reported to have been beheaded in Panjwai District after being accused of working for international military forces. 29. I deplore all attacks targeting the civilian population or resulting in civilian deaths, injuries or disruption of civilian life, including the rights to education, to freedom of movement and residence, and to an adequate standard of living. B. Attacks on Afghan government officials 30. Targeted assassinations of provincial and district government officials were a worrying trend in 2006. Judges, law enforcement officials, high-profile local officials and a female public figure were killed. In September, a provincial director of MoWA was assassinated in Kandahar; in October, a male member of the Provincial Council in Kandahar was killed and two attempts were made against the outgoing Governor of Helmand. In October, a suicide bomber killed the Governor of Paktia and in August, two female members of the Provincial Council in Laghman Province moved to the capital of the province following death threats from unknown sources. District administrators bore the brunt of Taliban attacks in the south-east and east and some were killed, including the district governors of Khogyiani and Gulran districts.