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dpa
Kabul
Afghan forces have been blamed for the death of 18 civilians - the majority women and children - in the south-western Nimruz province while targeting Taliban positions over the weekend, according to local officials.
Of those killed, 11 were children and three were women, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Retired army general Zahir Azimi blames such incidents on poor intelligence and the Taliban practice of using civilian houses as a shield for their operations.
“The sources, which provide the information, are sometimes acting two-sided. It means they are giving the target the way that can benefit the Taliban as well,” Azimi told dpa.
Technical failures and human error were also to blame for accidental civilian deaths, Azimi added.
Azimi accused the government of trying to cover up such incidents and warned that authorities risked undermining public trust.
“They lose their credibility when locals uncover civilian casualties.
People no longer trust officials because they provide contradictory reports,” he said.
Sunday’s tragedy in Nimruz is a case in point. Relatives of those killed in the air strike staged a protest in which they brought the bodies to the provincial capital and demanded local authorities rescind a statement claiming the dead had been Taliban operatives.
The Afghan army is yet to withdraw its claim that the strike had killed 14 militants. Still, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani late on Monday acknowledged the civilian deaths and said he had been “deeply saddened.” Ghani urged authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and share the findings with his office.
According to the AIHRC, many relatives of civilians killed in error during similar incidents are yet to receive a proper answer from authorities.
“Access to justice for victims’ families is unfortunately only a dream for them,” AIHRC spokesman Zabiullah Farhang told dpa.
The problem is compounded by a lack of media coverage. Last year, Vice President Amrullah Saleh even went so far as to threaten journalists with consequences should they blame the Afghan military for the deaths of 12 children in an air strike in Takhar province.
The provincial spokesman told dpa he was forced to resign after being briefed on the incident.
Air strikes account for nearly one-tenth of civilian casualties annually, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan. The vast majority of civilian deaths in the country are caused by anti-government forces, however.
Of those killed in the first nine months of 2020, the Taliban accounted for 45 percent of civilian deaths, while the Afghan army accounted for 23 percent.
Kabul
Afghan forces have been blamed for the death of 18 civilians - the majority women and children - in the south-western Nimruz province while targeting Taliban positions over the weekend, according to local officials.
Of those killed, 11 were children and three were women, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Retired army general Zahir Azimi blames such incidents on poor intelligence and the Taliban practice of using civilian houses as a shield for their operations.
“The sources, which provide the information, are sometimes acting two-sided. It means they are giving the target the way that can benefit the Taliban as well,” Azimi told dpa.
Technical failures and human error were also to blame for accidental civilian deaths, Azimi added.
Azimi accused the government of trying to cover up such incidents and warned that authorities risked undermining public trust.
“They lose their credibility when locals uncover civilian casualties.
People no longer trust officials because they provide contradictory reports,” he said.
Sunday’s tragedy in Nimruz is a case in point. Relatives of those killed in the air strike staged a protest in which they brought the bodies to the provincial capital and demanded local authorities rescind a statement claiming the dead had been Taliban operatives.
The Afghan army is yet to withdraw its claim that the strike had killed 14 militants. Still, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani late on Monday acknowledged the civilian deaths and said he had been “deeply saddened.” Ghani urged authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and share the findings with his office.
According to the AIHRC, many relatives of civilians killed in error during similar incidents are yet to receive a proper answer from authorities.
“Access to justice for victims’ families is unfortunately only a dream for them,” AIHRC spokesman Zabiullah Farhang told dpa.
The problem is compounded by a lack of media coverage. Last year, Vice President Amrullah Saleh even went so far as to threaten journalists with consequences should they blame the Afghan military for the deaths of 12 children in an air strike in Takhar province.
The provincial spokesman told dpa he was forced to resign after being briefed on the incident.
Air strikes account for nearly one-tenth of civilian casualties annually, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan. The vast majority of civilian deaths in the country are caused by anti-government forces, however.
Of those killed in the first nine months of 2020, the Taliban accounted for 45 percent of civilian deaths, while the Afghan army accounted for 23 percent.
