Militants who they say are Talebans, pose with RPG and AK47, in Zabul province, south of Kabul

A new report says nearly 4,000 people have been killed in fighting in Afghanistan this year.

The Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board Monday, says insurgent violence has killed 3700 people so far this year, most of them rebels.

The report also says militants launch about 600 attacks a month, four times higher than last year's monthly average.

The monitoring board is comprised of Afghan and international representatives, including the United Nations.

The report comes as Afghan officials announced that the bodies of 20 Taleban militants had been recovered from Bermel district in Paktika province, where NATO and Afghan forces recently conducted a mission.

A U.S.-backed operation pushed the Taleban from power in 2001, but members of the extremist group continue to fight Afghan and foreign forces defending the Kabul government.