KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- A war economy in Afghanistan has improved the lives of countless people though most people still question if intervention paid off, the ICRC said.

Anti-American demonstrations broke out in Afghanistan following the alleged mishandling of copies of the Koran at a military base. U.S. military and diplomatic officials have said that despite an uptick in violence, there are no plans to change course in Afghanistan. International forces are expected to leave by 2014, roughly 13 years after the initial conflict began.

Reto Stocker, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, said the security sector in the country was in part responsible for a boom in what he described as a war economy.

Stocker said that although few Afghans have become rich off the war, it has created a number of jobs in the war-torn country.

"But as this war economy shrinks over the months and years to come, and the interest of the international community wanes, it will affect all sectors of society, including both those who are struggling and those who have got used to a comfortable living," he said in a statement.

He said the population in Kabul has increased substantially since conflict began in 2001 but most Afghans are wary about their future.

"Many Afghans simply say they want to leave their homeland," he said. "And they are questioning what has really improved over the past 10 years of conflict."

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