Afghanistan: War Crimes and Civilian Casualties

A Contribution of the Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA)

On April 2, 2018, the Afghan government air forces targeted a gathering in Archi district of the Kunduz province of Afghanistan and killed and wounded hundreds of civilians, including tens of children. The public gathering was organized in an area under the control of Taliban where thousands of people attended a graduation ceremony. Some of the Taliban commanders and militants were also among the participants of the gathering.

The declarations of the presidential palace, as well as the statements of the Ministry of Defense, shamelessly justified their brutal military operation. The government shared with the media a list of Taliban commanders who were killed in 2nd April air strikes. But the list of the wounded people proves that 85% of the victims were civilians, mainly children and students.

According to the Geneva conventions and Rome Statute of the ICC, targeting civilians and blind air strikes that resulted in casualties and loss to the civilians is a war crime — and the perpetrators must be prosecuted.

The government of Afghanistan by killing of a few Taliban commanders will be not recognized as innocent while leaving behind civilians and children in the same operation.

The Taliban and Daesh [Islamic State] also offer the same excuse for their suicide attacks when they target the government security forces. But, the actual number of the casualties of the civilians is ten times more than the government forces.

And once more, the United Nations sets up an investigation committee

Following the protests of the residents of Archi and the showing by the media of the pictures of dead and injured bodies of tens of children and hundreds of other civilians, the government of Afghanistan, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and the Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan all together tasked a commission to investigate the case and provide a report!

In fact this is not the first case of war crimes committed by the Afghan government or US/NATO forces. For each case the Afghan government and its supporters in NATO assigned a delegation to inspect the issue … but nobody was prosecuted and nothing was given to the victims and harmed people.

Since the U.S. strategy for South Asia and Afghanistan was declared by Trump government, there is regular increase in the graph of the killing of civilians and violence in Afghanistan.

Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA) denounces the brutal military operation by the Afghan government and the U.S. forces in Afghanistan and asks for civilian protection in any situation and at any time. LRA believes the war agenda of U.S. imperialism in Afghanistan, the escalation of military operations and the killing of people blindly will not help to restore peace; it will certainly amplify the conflict and will impose irreparable losses to the civilians.

As long as the brutality against the civilians is increased by the war parties in Afghanistan, the anti-occupation resistance will grow and enter a new phase of struggle.

— Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA) Afghanistan- April 4, 2018