By Jonathon Burch

KABUL, March 18 (Reuters) - The Afghan government needs to take more action to bring human rights abusers to justice and end the culture of impunity that undermines faith in the state, the United Nations said on Tuesday

Six years ago, the United States relied on air power, special forces and a loose alliance of Afghan warlords to topple the Taliban government after the hardline Islamist movement refused to give up al Qaeda leaders behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

Many of the warlords are accused of serious rights abuses during Afghanistan's three decades of war. They now dominate the parliament and some hold key positions within the state, but little has been done to bring them to book.

"You have heard of the phrase 'action speaks louder than words'. Here in Afghanistan the lack of action speaks volumes," Norah Niland, the UN's Chief Human Rights Officer in Afghanistan told a news conference.

"I think there is a lack of political will both within Afghanistan and without," she said.

Afghan forces and more than 50,000 foreign troops are now struggling to contain a resurgent Taliban campaign of guerrilla war, backed by suicide and roadside bomb attacks. Some 6,000 people were killed last year, the most violent since 2001.

Many Afghans are growing weary of the presence of foreign troops, official corruption and the ongoing lack of security.

Alongside the military campaign, analysts say President Hamid Karzai's government and his Western backers need to do more to strengthen governance and state institutions to help bring peace.

"There is a realisation that the conflict cannot be overcome by military means alone, and that an overarching civilian-led strategy is necessary to help bring about Afghanistan's long-term stability and development," the United Nations said in a recent report.

Suspects are often released without proper investigation and police have failed to act when confronted with powerful local interests, the report said. The result was a lack of public confidence in the government and state institutions.

Despite disappointments, most Afghans are committed and determined to end human rights violations, she said.

"Re-establishing the rule of law and ending impunity for past and present crimes remains key to securing peace and stability in Afghanistan," the U.N. report said.

Other areas of concern for human rights in Afghanistan were the position of women, poverty and poor access to healthcare.

Although women enjoy more freedoms since 2001, Niland said they are still excluded from certain areas of society and often suffer high levels of violence. Many women victims of sexual offences are imprisoned on charges of immorality. (Editing by Bill Tarrant)

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