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Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan Rise 23 Percent Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan Jump as U.S. Reduces Role
(about 3 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of civilians killed or injured in Afghanistan rose by nearly a quarter in the first six months of 2013, according to a United Nations report on civilian casualties, reversing a decline last year that many hoped would signal an easing in the war’s toll on ordinary Afghans. KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of civilians killed or injured in Afghanistan rose by nearly a quarter in the first six months of 2013, according to a United Nations report on civilian casualties, reversing a decline last year and signaling the challenge Afghan forces face as they take over all combat duties from the withdrawing American soldiers.
The Taliban continued to cause the vast majority of those casualties, with the factors driving the 23 percent increase including the indiscriminate use of roadside bombs and suicide attacks in major population centers, according to the report, released on Wednesday. The Taliban continued to cause the vast majority of casualties as it stepped up its attacks this year, driving the 23 percent increase through the indiscriminate use of roadside bombs and suicide attacks in major population centers, according to the report, released on Wednesday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
From January to June, the number of civilians killed in war-related violence rose to 1,319 from 1,158 a year earlier. In the same period, 2,533 civilians were injured, compared with 1,976 in 2012. For deaths, 2011 remains the worst year for Afghan civilians, with 1,575 killed in the first half of that year. As the war enters its final combat phase for American soldiers, with their pullout planned for the end of 2014, responsibility for the fighting is increasingly falling to the Afghans. Keenly aware of the security transition in place, the insurgency has stepped up its efforts to strike the Afghan forces, hoping to undermine confidence in the government institutions. That effort has included a focus on complex and daring attacks in major cities like Kabul, where Afghans often find themselves in harm’s way.
As Afghan forces have taken the lead in fighting this year, the insurgency has hit them hard, seeking to undermine confidence in Afghan government institutions as the coalition forces prepare to withdraw. That effort has included a focus on complex attacks in major cities like Kabul, where Afghans often find themselves in harm’s way, as well as other measures that have been felt mostly by civilians. In many areas where the international soldiers have shut down bases or reduced their footprint, the fight for control between the Afghan forces and the insurgency has intensified — with women and children often bearing the brunt of the violence. Fighting between the two groups over the abandoned swaths of the country was the second biggest cause of civilian deaths and injuries.
The shifting political and security situation has also led to increased ground fighting between the Afghan forces and insurgents, as the international troops shut down bases and reduce their footprint across the country. Fighting between the two groups over the abandoned swaths of the country was the second biggest cause of civilian deaths and injuries. From January to June, the number of civilians killed in war-related violence rose to 1,319 from 1,158 a year earlier. In the same period, 2,533 civilians were injured, compared with 1,976 in 2012.
Antigovernment forces using improvised explosive devices accounted for more than a third of the civilian casualties in the first half of 2013. Women and children, in particular, suffered. Ground battles were the leading contributor to a 60 percent jump in casualties among women, while improvised explosive devices largely caused a 30 percent increase in injuries and deaths of children. Throughout the first half of the year, reports of women and children being killed by roadside bombs seemed at times an almost daily occurrence, particularly in the south Afghanistan, where the so-called improvised explosive devices have been sewn through much of the terrain by antigovernment forces. The United Nations report found that improvised explosive devices accounted for more than a third of the civilian casualties in the first half of 2013, helping drive a 30 percent increase in injuries and deaths of children.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, would not comment on the report, saying the insurgents have formed a commission to review it. But there is little doubt the numbers will put greater pressure on the Taliban, from communities and its own ranks, to reduce the carnage among civilians. Meanwhile, the intensifying ground battles helped propel a 60 percent jump in casualties among women.
The Taliban has been under pressure in recent years to reduce civilian casualties. The group’s leaders have issued edicts demanding more caution from fighters and have set up a committee to prevent the loss of innocent lives. And yet the data from the United Nations reflect a trend heading in the opposite direction.
“Unfortunately the reality has not been borne out and we have not seen a great reduction in civilian casualties by them,” said Georgette Gagnon, the United Nations director of human rights for Afghanistan.
The Taliban, for its part, rejected the report as little more than a tool of the American strategy. In addition to decrying the coalition’s responsibility for innocent Afghan deaths, the group took issue with what it viewed as the U.N.'s use of the word civilian to describe government employees, like judicial workers.
“Calling them civilians is UNAMA’s own judgment,” according to the statement. “We don’t consider people civilians who are directly involved in our country’s occupation.”
But there is little doubt the numbers will put greater pressure on the Taliban, from communities and its own ranks, to reduce the carnage among civilians.
In the last several months, the Taliban have condemned attacks that killed civilians, blaming the Afghan and coalition troops for using excessive force. In May, the group denied responsibility for — and condemned — an attack in Jalalabad on the International Committee of the Red Cross, an organization it sees as impartial.In the last several months, the Taliban have condemned attacks that killed civilians, blaming the Afghan and coalition troops for using excessive force. In May, the group denied responsibility for — and condemned — an attack in Jalalabad on the International Committee of the Red Cross, an organization it sees as impartial.
Since the Afghans will continue to take a greater role in security operations, the United Nations expressed concern about “the absence of functioning oversight and accountability mechanisms.” When confronted with evidence of civilian casualties, the report said, the Afghan National Security Forces responded “that they did not know about the incident, or that the incident did not happen, or that the incident occurred but A.N.S.F. were not responsible.” Another hallmark of the transition as the Americans end their combat role is the rising percentage of civilian casualties caused by the Afghan security forces. Though the number of deaths caused by all pro-government forces, including NATO soldiers, is lower than last year, civilian casualties caused by the Afghan forces jumped substantially, the report showed. That could be a worrisome trend as the Afghan forces take a greater role in security operations going forward.
In part, the difficulty of assigning blame for civilian casualties in ground battles is proving who pulled the trigger. But the Taliban do not often engage in sustained gunfights with Afghan forces, given the greater numbers of those forces and their coalition allies.
Instead, bombs and targeted killings remain favored means to strike fear into civilians and Afghan fighters. In the last six months, the Taliban and others conducted more targeted killings than in the past, focusing on civilians they believe are aiding the government.
That tactic, the report said, reflects an awareness among the insurgents that government forces are growing stronger, requiring them to take more drastic measures to terrorize the population.
“The deliberate targeting of civilians appears to stem from a limited capacity of antigovernment elements to effectively engage security forces and gain tactical ground using lawful combat tactics,” the report said.