Serious Concern Over Rising Civillian Casualties in Afghanistan

The Agency Coordinating Body For Afghan Relief (ACBAR), which claims to represent 100 national and international NGOs working in Afghanistan, has expressed grave concern about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the serious impact on civilians. They report a surge in the number of civilian causalities caused by all sides, a spread of insecurity to previously stable areas, and increasing attacks against aid agencies and their staff.

Their statement on the Protection of Civilians in Afghanistan can be accessed via www.acbar.org

International Red Cross Warn of Deteriorating Situation in Afghanistan

From the International Committee of the Red Cross

The ICRC is worried that an increasing number of people are being displaced as the result of spreading hostilities between security forces – both Afghan and international – and the armed opposition.

Throughout the country, the humanitarian needs have increased significantly over the past two years. In addition to the southern provinces, large areas in the east and west are now also affected by the armed conflict, with around two-thirds of the country affected by hostilities.

What's more, bitter cold in central and western parts of Afghanistan have also left many residents in dire straits, especially in the remote mountain areas, where temperatures have plummeted. When spring comes, these vulnerable villages may see more suffering as the result of floods.

Civilian Casualties Continue to Rise in Afghanistan: Are suicide bombers or NATO responsible?

According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) over 155 Afghan civilians died in ground military operations, aerial strikes and suicide attacks by Taliban insurgents, US, NATO and Afghan government forces in September alone. Their estimates for the number of civilians killed by Taliban attacks and by coalition military activity are very similar.

"At least 80 civilians lost their lives in suicide attacks and over 75 others were killed in military operations and aerial strikes in September," said Farid Hamidi, an AIHRC official.

It should be noted that in previous casualty tallies by the UN, the number of civilians killed by NATO forces has exceeded the numbers killed by the Taliban. What is striking though is the rise in the recorded number of deaths. In July, the UN reported a total of 600 civilian deaths for 2007 to that date, making a monthly average of about 100. Based on that estimate, the total for September has increased by over 50% from the average.

Part of the reason for the apparent rise in civilian casualties during 2007 may be the increased use of suicide bomb attacks. While suicide attacks by themselves are not in violation of international law, and also have the potential to be used as precision weapons for targeting the military, in reality reports suggest that their use in Afghanistan has led to a large proportion of civilian casualties. A UN report (pdf) published last month analysed the use of suicide attacks in detail.

"While the very first suicide attack occurred on 9 September, 2001, when Al Qaeda suicide operatives posing as journalists assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud, suicide bombings only came to prominence in Afghanistan in mid-2005. Only five attacks occurred between 2001 and 2005, when they escalated unexpectedly to 17 attacks over the course of the year. In 2006 there were 123 actual attacks, and in 2007 there were 77 attacks between 1 January and 30 June. Suicide missions now form an integral part of the Taliban’s strategy...

Suicide assailants in Afghanistan and their supporters seem to be mobilized by a range of grievances. These include a sense of occupation, anger over civilian casualties, and affronts to their national, family, and personal senses of honour and dignity that are perpetrated in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations. Some attackers are also motivated by religious rewards and duties..."

Figure: Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan

Source: UNAMA

What is clear from the available data however, is that the increase in suicide attacks cannot, by itself, account for the reported rise in casualties. Half of civilian deaths continue to be caused by pro-Government NATO led forces. It may well be that the use of suicide attacks, in which attackers disguise themselves as civilians (perfidy), makes distinguishing combatants and non-combatants more difficult and increases the risk of 'pre-emptive' shooting. However, the burden remains on all parties to the conflict to take all necessary means to minimise civilian casualties. Not only is it a moral and legal imperative, it also make essential strategic sense. As the UN report on suicide attacks comments on the NATO effort.

"Immediate efforts are needed to diminish perceptions of a foreign military occupation: all forces engaged in counter insurgency operations must reduce civilian casualties and conscientiously work to uphold the dignity and honour of Afghans, to avoid provoking outrage in the population and a ready supply of volunteers for jihad"

ACLU Files Lawsuit to Require Disclosure on Human Costs of War

From the American Civil Liberties Union

"NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a lawsuit today against the Department of Defense (DoD), demanding that it comply with a Freedom of Information Act request to release documents regarding civilians killed by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There can be no more important decision in a democracy than whether to go to war, yet this administration has gone to unprecedented lengths to control the information that the American people need to make informed judgments," said Ben Wizner, an attorney in ACLU's National Security Project. "The government’s refusal to comply with the ACLU’s FOIA request unlawfully obstructs the public’s right to know the true costs of our nation’s wars."

The ACLU sought records from several components of DoD more than a year ago, but has received documents only from the Department of the Army. The Army has provided thousands of pages of documents chronicling civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those documents include new evidence of coalition forces’ involvement in civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. The nearly 10,000 pages that the ACLU is making public today include courts martial proceedings and military investigations regarding the possible wrongful death of civilians. The documents released by the ACLU today are available online in a searchable database at: www.aclu.org/natsec/foia/log2.html

"The secrecy that surrounds the human costs of these wars keeps Americans from knowing what is being done in our name," said Nasrina Bargzie, an attorney in ACLU's National Security Project. "When the exigencies of war and the Pentagon’s policies interfere with the free flow of information, we must rely on our own government’s documents and records to help Americans make informed decisions."

Since U.S. troops first set foot in Afghanistan in 2001, the Defense Department has gone to unprecedented lengths to control and suppress information about the human costs of war.

The ACLU pointed out that during both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Defense Department has instituted numerous policies designed to control information about the human costs of war. These policies include:

• Banning photographers on U.S. military bases from covering the arrival of caskets containing the remains of U.S. soldiers killed overseas;
• Paying Iraqi journalists to write positive accounts of the U.S. war effort;
• Inviting U.S. journalists to "embed" with military units but requiring them to submit their stories for pre-publication review;
• Erasing journalists' footage of civilian deaths in Afghanistan; and
• Refusing to disclose statistics on civilian casualties.

The files made public today cast further light on the killings of Iraqi and Afghan civilians in the conflict zones."

The full press release and links can be read here

UN Says More Afghan Civilians Killed By NATO Led Mission Than by The Taliban

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (IRIN) have reported that the war in Afghanistan is resulting in a growing number of civilian casualties, and that NATO led forces are now responsible for more civilian deaths than the Taliban they are fighting.

A spokesman for the UN in Afghanistan, Adrian Edwards, said on 2 July: “The overall number of deaths attributed to pro-government forces, which include the ANA [Afghan National Army], ANP [Afghan National Police], NDS [National Directorate of Security] and international military forces, marginally exceeds that caused by anti-government forces”.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has reported that so far this year, over 270 civilians have been killed in military operations by international forces. Over 270 non-combatants have also died in Taliban attacks. A total figure of around 600 civilian deaths has also been reported, but a large margin of uncertainty exists around these tallies.

Along with the UN, ICRC and others, AIHRC are calling for restraint and a change of tactics from the waring parties. “We call upon the Taliban, US military, ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] and all other parties involved in the conflict to reduce the impact of their military operations on Afghan children,” said Najibullah Babrakzai, a children protection officer for AIHRC.

The call has received a limited response. Buisness as usual with widespread use of US airpower seems set to continue, at least according to the reaction from US Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel reported by AP.

"We think the procedures that we have in place are good," Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel told a Pentagon press conference. "They work, they help us minimize the effects" on civilians, he said.

The latest statements from the UN strongly contradict the US assertion. They follow on from a recognition that not enough was being done to monitor and account for casualties caused in the conflict. In May, the UN announced that they were setting up a database of casualties. While the detailed information from this database appears to be kept out of the public domain, perhaps the existence of this initiative has at least facilitated a more robust position from the UN mission. This has to be welcomed.

UN chief urges military in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties

You may wonder why I chose the Philippine Star as the citation for this story on the UN Sectretary General. Well, under reporting of his comments by western media is the answer...

From the Philippine Star

GENEVA (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he had delivered a "strong" appeal to military commanders in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties.

"I'm still very much concerned and saddened by this continuing violence and particularly by the civilian casualties," Ban said ahead of a meeting in Rome with NATO and Afghan leaders on conditions in war-battered Afghanistan.

The UN chief made a fleeting visit to Kabul on Friday for talks with President Hamid Karzai and with the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

"I have made a strong request to the Afghan leaders as well as military commanders to avoid civilian casualties during the course of their military operations," Ban said in a news conference in Geneva.

See also:

'Up to 80 civilians dead' after US air strikes in Afghanistan

Rome meet to look into Afghan civilian deaths

Afghanistan: Mounting civilian death toll

From Amnesty International USA

Afghanistan: Mounting civilian death toll -- all sides must do more to protect civilians

Amnesty International is increasingly concerned at the escalating numbers of Afghan civilians killed and injured in the ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan. In recent weeks scores of civilians have been killed during aerial and land attacks against Taleban insurgency by US, NATO and Afghan forces. Scores of civilians have also been killed in indiscriminate suicide attacks launched by Taleban insurgents, as well as in attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as roadside bombs. Amnesty International is also concerned at reports that the Taleban are using human shields to escape attack. Attacks by both sides have resulted in deaths of women and children.

For the full statement go here

ICRC Provides Update on Afghanistan Conflict

The increasing toll of the Afghan war on all sides is rarely reported with any balance by western media, partly due to the failure of UK and USA military to provide credible information on their activities and the resulting casualties, either combatant or civillian.

Today the ICRC release their latest assessment of the spreading and intensifying conflict.

"Civilians suffer horribly from mounting threats to their security, such as increasing numbers of roadside bombs and suicide attacks, and regular aerial bombing raids. They also lack access to basic services. It is incredibly difficult for ordinary Afghans to lead a normal life.”

Since 2006 the conflict pitting Afghan and international forces against the armed opposition has significantly intensified in the south and east of the country and is spreading to the north and west. The result has been a growing number of civilian casualties.

In an ever-more polarized context such as Afghanistan, it has become increasingly challenging to carry out humanitarian work outside major cities. The ICRC maintains a structured and transparent dialogue with all parties to the conflict – the Afghan authorities, international forces and the armed opposition – to promote acceptance of and respect for its independent and neutral humanitarian action and to obtain better security guarantees and access to conflict victims throughout the country.

According to Krähenbühl, “there has been a steady deterioration of medical services in Afghanistan’s remote areas, where important needs are still unmet. The civilians most in need are also the most difficult to reach.”

While development work is crucial to the future of Afghanistan, the persistence of armed conflict means that many civilians remain in dire need of emergency assistance. Against this worrying backdrop, the ICRC and the Afghan Red Crescent Society are stepping up their efforts to protect and assist the most vulnerable, in particular by actively helping local medical facilities to cope with the increasing number of war-wounded in the south and east. In addition, the ICRC is visiting more and more persons detained by the Afghan authorities or international forces in connection with the armed conflict – 2,424 over the past year – in order to ensure that they are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law.

In the south of the country, where armed hostilities regularly occur, the local population is suffering greatly. Thousands of people have fled their homes and are continuing to move in search of safer areas. The general lack of security affects people living in rural and urban areas alike."

Their full press release and interview can be read here

See also: NATO must prevent Afghan civilian casualties-ICRC

Impact of War on the Civilian Population of Afghanistan: new report from Amnesty International

Amnesty International today released a new report on the impact of the war on the civilian population of Afghanistan.

In their report: All who are not friends, are enemies: Taleban abuses against civilians they claim that:

"The Taleban have been responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths. According to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC),(4) around 600 civilians were killed or wounded in the first seven months of 2006. Around 70 per cent of these casualties were linked to Taleban attacks.(5) The Taleban have targeted and killed civilians whom they consider to be "spies" or "collaborators", including Afghan and foreign reconstruction and aid workers, religious leaders, government administrators, women’s rights activists and teachers. The Taleban have attacked civilians and civilian objects, such as school buildings, with little or no effort to distinguish between these and military targets, such as soldiers and combat vehicles.

...While Amnesty International has reported elsewhere on its concerns over the past two years relating to abuses by international forces,(6) this report focuses on violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses by the Taleban, covering the period January 2005 to March 2007, including threats, intimidation and attack targeting civilians and indiscriminate attacks, including suicide bombings attacks on schools, abductions and unlawful killings of captives. The report urges all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law by which they are bound and to operate within a human rights framework, and makes detailed recommendations to the Taleban and other armed groups."

Previous AI documentation of abuses committed by US troops and their allies includes:

2005 USA / Afghanistan: More deaths and impunity

2006 Afghanistan: NATO member states must uphold human rights

Files on Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq: ACLU launches online database

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has, in the last few days, made public hundreds of files on civilians killed or injured by Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ACLU received the records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request it filed in June 2006.

They have made available 496 files of incidents where claims have been made by the families of the victims against coalition forces: 479 from Iraq and 17 from Afghanistan. So, bear in mind this is not a complete record of incidents, rather a partial record of claims made by families.

They claim that the hundreds of files provide a vivid snapshot, in significantly more detail than has previously been compiled and released, of the circumstances surrounding reports of civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Usefully, they have created an online database that can be searched to find details of particular incidents and a complete log of the claims can also be browsed.

"Since U.S. troops first set foot in Afghanistan in 2001, the Defense Department has gone to unprecedented lengths to control and suppress information about the human costs of war," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. " Our democracy depends on an informed citizenry, and it is critical that the American people have access to full and accurate information about the prosecution of the war and the implications for innocent civilians."

Their full press release is available here.