War's Cruel Casualties
"Destroying 60 buildings in a month means that twice a day, international forces are conducting the riskiest kind of strikes for civilians: structures where there is uncertainty of who may be inside them." "I would hope that forces in Afghanistan are doing a rigorous review of these strikes and all allegations to monitor this risk … That’s something that didn’t happen in Mosul, and the human cost was tremendous."
Larry Lewis, civilian casualty expert, director, Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, Center for Naval Alalyses
"At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban was using the building as a fighting position."
"We investigate every credible allegation of error and review every mission to learn, adapt and improve."
Spokesperson, NATO-led resolute support forces
"In self-defense, the ground force called an airstrike. After the strike, there were secondary explosions, we assess from explosives inside the compound."
"At the time of the strike, the ground force was unaware of any civilians in or around the compound; they only knew that the Taliban were using the building as a fighting position."
Maj. Bariki Mallya, U.S. Military spokesman
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| An injured boy receives treatment at a hospital after an airstrike in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Nov. 28, 2018. AP |
Because there's a stepped-up campaign among NATO military groups led by the United States in an ongoing effort to destroy the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan the decision was made to proceed even with the knowledge that where the Taliban was present there was also the presence of uninvolved civilians, men, women and children. The Taliban seem indestructible; they keep resurfacing from every armed conflict where NATO forces inflict lasting damage.
But it isn't lasting, merely a temporary setback before they once again regroup and set out to confront the Western military. Where years ago it was thought that the Taliban had been pretty much decimated today they control a significant part of Afghanistan, likely thirty percent and spreading. Of course al-Qaeda is present as well as Islamic State. And in between are Afghan civilians trapped between the two opposing forces for whom a few lives here and there sacrificed in the greater interests of defeating the Taliban or the U.S. forces is seen to be tolerable.
The Taliban resurge to demonstrate that they are capable of mounting deadly attacks anywhere in Afghanistan, including zones considered to be highly protected. A coordinated attack targeting an area of Kabul, the Afghan capital, killed ten, wounded 19 in response to the Helmand airstrike by U.S. forces that purported to kill sixteen Taliban fighters, and an estimated 30 civilians, children among them when a building was targeted.
In the Kabul attack a suicide bomber detonated explosives while others began a gun battle with area security forces, hours after the overnight battle between Afghan government forces and Taliban forces. The civilian casualties resulted when the security forces called in for air support from the U.S. military in support of "special security forces" under heavy Taliban fire in Helmand. It was a house that was struck in the central Helmand River valley, an area where the Taliban are well established.
According to Major Bariki Mallya the airstrike was undertaken in self-defence once Taliban fighters with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns made a retreat into a compound while continuing to fire on Afghan government forces along with their American advisers. And there was no knowledge, he emphasized, of the presence of vulnerable civilians in the immediate area. Of course he would say that; the U.S. doesn't appreciate being criticized for ignoring the perils they impose on civilians.
According to a statement from the Helmand governor's office the militants had stockpiled ammunition where the operation took place and that might have been the cause of the civilian casualties. A car packed with explosives ignited during the strike, added the statement. But this is war, a long, endless, protracted war. In war casualties are everywhere and impossible to predict, much less avoid.
"Initial findings indicate that the vast majority of the victims were women and children."
"The Mission is actively working to verify information indicating up to 10 children were killed along with eight women, and three children were injured, including an eight-year-old boy."
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Casualties, Conflict, NATO, Taliban, United States
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, December 01, 2018
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