Afghanistan
Gowar Shad Mosque, Herat, Afghanistan |
A political solution is needed in Afghanistan that includes withdrawal of occupation troops. The impossibility of a military solution has been shown by the resurgence of the Taliban and the inability of the government to control anything outside the capital. Despite this, the United States is constructing “long-term” military bases inside Afghanistan and commanders are planning for a similarly long-term commitment of forces.
Afghanistan has been occupied by the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for five years - since the invasion in late 2001. There are 32,500 NATO troops in Afghanistan. Yet the U.S.-supported government of Hamid Karzai still does not control much outside the capital city, violence has increased and Taliban fighters have reportedly grown stronger and are winning the allegiance of more Afghans.
From limited press reports, we know that NATO forces have killed many Afghan civilians – recently at an increased rate. The United States and NATO have stepped up air attacks, which are notoriously inaccurate and carry a large toll for Afghan men, women and children on the ground.
As in Iraq, there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Attacks killing civilians, besides pointing out the human toll of this occupation, increase support for adversaries of the United States. Instead, a political solution that involves negotiations with the Taliban and a withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops must be sought. Some countries within NATO recognize this, calling for an exit strategy. However, the leaders of the U.S. and the U.K. have said they will stay in Afghanistan for as long as “a generation.”
Also as in Iraq, the stated goal of this invasion and occupation has not been achieved. Osama bin Laden has not been brought to justice. Instead, another country has been denied its right to self-determination and its people have suffered tragic violence. It is time to end the occupation of Afghanistan.
Casualties
I Casualties.org: 646 coalition soldiers, including 422 Americans, dead. Over 6,000 Americans wounded. (Updated August 6, 2007)
Unknown number of Afghani casualties.
Airstrikes and Civilian Casualties
U.S. Airstrikes Climb Sharply In Afghanistan
David S. Cloud, New York Times, November 17, 2006
The Air Force has conducted more than 2,000 airstrikes in Afghanistan over the past six months, a sharp increase in bombing that reflects the growing demand for American air cover since NATO has assumed a larger ground combat role, Air Force officials said.
The intensifying air campaign has focused on southern Afghanistan, where NATO units, primarily from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as American Special Forces have been engaging in the heaviest and most frequent ground combat with Taliban rebels since the invasion five years ago.
The NATO forces are mostly operating without heavy armor or artillery support, and as Taliban resistance has continued, more air support has been used to compensate for the lightness of the units, Air Force officials said. Most of the strikes have come during “close air support” missions, where the bombers patrol the area and respond to calls from ground units in combat rather than performing planned strikes.
Toll Of Civilians NATO Killed Was Worst Since It Took Over
David Rohde & Taimoor Shah, New York Times, November 14, 2006
A joint NATO and Afghan investigation has found that a nighttime NATO air attack killed 31 civilians in southern Afghanistan last month, the highest civilian death toll since NATO took over security in the south in August. The results of the investigation were relayed by a senior NATO official.
The investigation found that many of the civilians were nomadic shepherds who had fled their tents with their wives and children after a NATO bomb struck a nearby compound, killing 20 Taliban fighters, according to the NATO official. When the surviving Taliban fighters fled the compound, a C-130 gunship, armed with heavy machine guns and cannons, strafed nearby fields. NATO ground forces also fired mortars into the area.
Eighteen dead civilians were found scattered in one field. Ten civilians were found dead in a ditch. Three more lay nearby, according to the senior NATO official, who declined to say how many women and children perished. Only two Taliban fighters who fled the compound died.
‘Civilians killed’ in NATO raids
BBC, October 26, 2006
Scores of civilians have been killed during NATO operations against Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, local officials and civilians say. NATO says it will help Afghan officials investigate what happened after raids in two districts of Kandahar province. The alliance had “credible reports” of some civilian casualties, but could not confirm reports of 60 dead civilians. It said 48 militants had been killed. In September NATO said it had routed the Taliban in one of their strongholds in Kandahar province after a two-week-long operation in which 500 militants were killed.
Villagers told the BBC Pashto service that the bodies of many locals had been pulled from the rubble of their homes after the raids and buried. “Twenty members of my family are killed and 10 are injured,” one survivor said. “The injured are in Mirwais hospital in Kandahar city and anybody can go and see them.
Another man said women and children were among 15 members of his family who had been killed. “The airplanes came and were bombing until 3 am. And, in the morning, they started hitting our village with mortars and rockets. They didn’t allow anybody to come to our help.”
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zmarai Bashiry told the BBC that local police and officials had confirmed more than 40 villagers killed in the NATO raids. Other local officials put the death toll at between 60 and 85.
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