NEW : The Taliban rejects the report , saying it is better not to target civilians . The United Nations finds a tiny glimmer of good news in Afghanistan in a new report out Wednesday , saying that violence against civilians fell in the first half of the year . It 's the first time in five years there has been a spike in violence against civilians . The report brings the level down only to what it was five years ago . They still take a ` ` devastating toll on civilians , '' the U.N. mission in Afghanistan says .
NEW : The Taliban rejects the report , saying it is better not to target civilians . It 's the first time in five years there has been a spike in violence against civilians . The report brings the level down only to what it was five years ago . They still take a ` ` devastating toll on civilians , '' the U.N. mission in Afghanistan says .