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We Have to Stop Killing Civilians in Afghanistan |
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America’s efforts in Afghanistan have been undermined from the beginning by persistently high levels of civilian deaths. In May and June, a number of articles cited America’s failure to win hearts and minds. Journalists suggested that the multitude of recent incidents of unwarranted civilian killings would, if not stopped, lose the war for NATO.
In early August, a British commander asked US forces to leave a “hotspot” of fighting against the Taliban because they were killing too many civilians:
Tension between British and American commanders in southern Afghanistan erupted into the open yesterday as a senior UK military officer said he had asked the US to withdraw its special forces from a volatile area that was crucial in the battle against the Taliban.
British and Nato defence officials have consistently expressed concern about US tactics, notably air strikes, which kill civilians, sabotaging the battle for “hearts and minds” and infuriating Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.
Serious criticism of the US military’s treatment of Afghan civilians has continued up to the present. Today the BBC reports that
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed alarm at the number of civilian casualties caused by international forces in Afghanistan.
[snip]
Speaking to the BBC in Kabul at the end of a six-day visit, the UN high commissioner said there was no justification for the level of civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
But while she criticised insurgents for using suicide bombings and human shields, Ms Arbour said public opinion was clear - there was a higher expectation of international forces to do everything possible to avoid killing or injuring civilians.
[snip]
[She] also said she would support starting peace talks with insurgent groups such as the Taleban.
What the US and NATO can achieve in Afghanistan is unclear at present. I believe there may be real hope left to rebuild the country, though there are strong arguments for withdrawing immediately. What is clear is that if we remain in Afghanistan, we must stop killing civilians. It is unjustified and morally wrong - and if that argument doesn’t do it for you, then chew on this: killing civilians is making us lose.
I know many would put me in the “hug a terrorist” camp for saying it, but this is a no-brainer. Hearts and minds are important.
Sure it’s a no-brainer, and I imagine you saw the commenter on reddit who said “oh yea, and I’ll try not to rape anyone tomorrow.” But it’s not as simple as all that. I think it cuts to the mentality of the commanders and the way they conceive their combat operations. The incident with the British commander who refused to work with the Americans is extremely significiant, and there is no way to explain why the Brits would be killing fewer civilians than we are unless there is some difference in mentality or strategy. The American military command in Afghanistan simply has not taken this problem seriously - and that’s not me saying that, that’s the UN.