NATIONAL SECURITY — REPORT LINKS CIVILIAN DEATHS AND RECRUITMENT FOR INSURGENCY IN AFGHANISTAN: The WikiLeaks disclosure of thousands of pages of military documents dealing with the war in Afghanistan highlights, among other things, “how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents.” This is a particularly important disclosure in light of a report released earlier this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). NBER’s report, “The Effect of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq,” concludes that blowback in the population from civilian casualties caused by international forces in Iraq and Afghanistan is a considerable problem the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) faces in Afghanistan. It finds “strong evidence for a revenge effect in that local exposure to ISAF generated civilian casualties drives increased insurgent violence over the long-run.” The BBC notes NBER’s findings that “in areas where two civilians were killed or injured by Nato…there were on average an extra six violent incidents between insurgents and US-led troops in the following six weeks.” NBER observed how, “when Isaf units kill civilians, [it] increases the number of willing combatants, leading to an increase in insurgent attacks,” and “[l]ocal exposure to violence from Isaf appears to be the primary driver of this effect.” The report also concludes that Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s new rules of engagement imposed upon soldiers under his command in Afghanistan “led to a decline in attacks by insurgent fighters.” Gen.l David Petraeus, who has just taken command of American forces in Afghanistan, is currently reviewing McChrystal’s rules and is considering altering them.