Civilian deaths dashing hopes in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR CITY (APP): Afghans say they are disappointed, angry and scared as more and more civilians are being killed in foreign-led military operations against Taliban fighters. Hopes for a brighter future that came with the fall of the hardline Taliban government more than five years ago are being eaten away here as the insurgency rages on and civilian fatalities rise -- up to almost 600 already this year. About half of the dead have been killed in Taliban attacks, according to the United Nations, but the remainder of the toll -- killed by foreign and Afghan troops meant to protect ordinary people -- has provoked particular concern. "We were initially thinking that maybe we would have schools for our children, for their future," said Khair Mohammad, a 49-year-old resident of a district in the southern province of Helmand pounded by air strikes last week. "But now we are afraid for our lives."Afghan officials say between 45 and 48 civilians were killed in the strike in Girishk district, some of them women and children found dead in trenches alongside Taliban fighters. The NATO force puts the toll at less than a dozen. "We are thinking of leaving the country once again. We are not thinking any more about schools, health facilities and our children. Now it is a question of survival," he said. The main city in southern Afghanistan, Kandahar, is also tense, with residents fearful of being blown up in a Taliban suicide attack or brought down by foreign forces -- who themselves are jumpy. "There is no atmosphere of confidence in Kandahar," said taxi driver Zia-ullah, 22. "The feeling is of uncertainty and fear." As an example, he cites an incident on Monday in which Afghan officials say foreign troops shot four civilians, one of whom died. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the men had ignored warnings to keep away from a convoy and only two were wounded. Kandahar governor Asadullah Khalid said Tuesday the soldiers involved must be called to account. "We are waiting to see them tried in a court," he told reporters. An umbrella group of nongovernment organisations in Afghanistan, ACBAR, said last month that 14 civilians have so far been killed this year for being too close to international military personnel or vehicles. The south has suffered badly but so has the east with mainly US soldiers accused of killing several dozen civilians this year, including 19 in March when they opened fire on locals after a suicide bombing. "The deprived nation of Afghanistan hoped the Americans would rescue it from poverty, starvation and hardship," said Khyber, a university student from Jalalabad, the main city in the east. "But the ground realities clearly show they are also killing civilians. So what is the difference between them and the Taliban?" "If the situation remains the same for a long time, then it may increase the number of suicide attackers in the country. Relatives of those civilians killed in the air strikes could become suicide attackers to take revenge," Khyber warned. One mullah in the city said people's hopes for peace and prosperity with the fall of the Taliban in 2001 had been dashed. "What we observe now is that the situation is heading towards deterioration day by day," said the cleric, named Shahzada. Nader Nadery from the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission said frustration was growing. "They see that five Taliban are killed and five civilians and they say, 'They could have found other ways to take hold of these Taliban.'" The troops face a difficult task, as the Taliban use civilians as human shields and use casualties as propaganda tools to stir up feelings of discontent aimed at the government and its allies. "Unless there is more coordination, unless this is immediate compensation to families affected and proper investigations, we will not be able to win this war against the Taliban," Nadery said. ISAF and the US-led coalition say the killing of civilians is always a mistake and regretted. "We go to great lengths in order to mitigate civilian casualties," Brigadier General Perry Wiggins, deputy director for operations of the US military's Joint Staff told a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. "We use precision weapons systems. The enemy on the other hand fires from very densely populated areas." Nonetheless, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday: "We simply cannot hide from the reality that civilian casualties, no matter how accidental, strengthen our enemies and undermine our efforts." For analyst Waheed Mujdah, the actions of the foreign forces have prompted people in the south and east to mobilise against them. He said the forces appeared not to have heeded emotional demands by President Hamid Karzai to take more care. "He cried but no one listened to him. No one even apologises for killing civilians," said the one-time anti-Soviet fighter and Taliban-era civil servant. "Afghanistan is at the edge a severe crisis. We will face an uprising if this continues," he warned.