February 2016

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN AFGHAN CONFLICT AT RECORD HIGH

Besides the record number of casualties, the conflict in Afghanistan has also caused tremendous destruction to homes and livelihoods.

By Kanaga Raja

            The number of civilian casualties in the armed conflict in Afghanistan during 2015 was the highest recorded since 2009, according to a United Nations report.

            In its report, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said between 1 January and 31 December 2015, it has documented 11,002 civilian casualties (3,545 civilian deaths and 7,457 injured), marking a 4% decrease in civilian deaths and a 9% increase in civilians injured.

            Since UNAMA began systematically documenting civilian casualties on 1 January 2009 up to 31 December 2015, it has recorded 58,736 civilian casualties (21,323 deaths and 37,413 injured).

            The UNAMA report, produced in coordination with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2015, said that the consequences of the armed conflict, and the related violations of human rights and international humanitarian law accompanying it, went far beyond the tragic loss of life and physical injury.

            "Throughout 2015, conflict-related violence destroyed homes, livelihoods and property, displaced thousands of families and restricted the freedom of civilians to access to education, health and other services."

            Generations of people in Afghanistan suffer the physical and mental effects of the conflict, receiving little or no support from Government institutions, it added.

            "This report records yet another rise in the number of civilians hurt or killed. The harm done to civilians is totally unacceptable," said Nicholas Haysom, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, in a UN news release.

            "We call on those inflicting this pain on the people of Afghanistan to take concrete action to protect civilians and put a stop to the killing and maiming of civilians in 2016," he added.

            "The people of Afghanistan continue to suffer brutal and unprincipled attacks that are forbidden under international law," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

            "This is happening with almost complete impunity. The perpetrators of the violations, documented by UNAMA and my staff, must be held to account. And the international community should emphasise far more vigorously that the rights of civilians should be protected."

            "In 2015, the conflict caused extreme harm to the civilian population, with particularly appalling consequences for children. Unprecedented numbers of children were needlessly killed and injured last year - one in four casualties in 2015 was a child," said Danielle Bell, UNAMA Director of Human Rights.

            "Other children suffered the loss of parents, and increasingly their mothers, sisters, and female role models - one in 10 casualties was a woman," she added.

            According to the UNAMA report, conflict-related violence increasingly harmed the most vulnerable: in 2015, one in 10 civilian casualties was a woman and one in four was a child.

            While overall civilian casualties increased by 4% in 2015, the mission documented a 37% increase in women casualties (1,246 women casualties, comprising 333 deaths and 913 injured) and a 14% increase in child casualties (2,829 casualties, comprising 733 deaths and 2,096 injured).

            "Ground engagements between parties to the conflict continued to cause the highest number of total civilian casualties (deaths and injured), followed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide and complex attacks. Ground engagements killed the most civilians, followed by targeted and deliberate killings," said UNAMA.

            The rise in overall civilian casualties in 2015 mainly stemmed from increases in complex and suicide attacks and targeted and deliberate killings by Anti-Government Elements, increasing civilian casualties caused by Pro-Government Forces during ground engagements and aerial operations, and rising numbers of civilians caught in crossfire between the parties to the conflict, most notably in Kunduz province.

            UNAMA attributed 62% of all civilian casualties to Anti-Government Elements and 17% to Pro- Government Forces (14% to Afghan national security forces, 2% to international military forces and 1% to pro-Government armed groups).

            Seventeen percent of all civilian casualties resulted from ground engagements between Anti-Government Elements and Afghan national security forces that could not be attributed to one specific party, while 4% of civilian casualties resulted from un-attributed explosive remnants of war.

            Between 1 January and 31 December 2015, UNAMA documented 6,859 civilian casualties (2,315 deaths and 4,544 injured) from operations and attacks carried out by all Anti-Government Elements, a 10% decrease from 2014.

            "The decrease resulted from fewer civilian casualties attributed to Anti-Government Elements from IEDs and ground engagements."

            However, UNAMA documented a 16% increase in civilian casualties attributed to Anti-Government Elements from complex and suicide attacks, and a 27% increase in civilian casualties from targeted killings, which became the second leading cause of civilian deaths in 2015.

            Civilian casualties attributed to Anti-Government Elements during ground engagements decreased by 38% while civilian casualties from IEDs decreased by 20% compared to 2014.

            "The reduction in civilian casualties from IEDs results from a combination of factors, including increased counter-IED efforts by Afghan national security forces and potential improvements in targeting practices by Anti-Government Elements."

            Pro-Government Forces – in particular Afghan security forces – continued to cause increasing numbers of civilian casualties in 2015.

            UNAMA documented 1,854 civilian casualties (621 deaths and 1,233 injured) caused by Pro-Government Forces, a 28% increase compared to 2014.

            UNAMA noted that the increase in civilian casualties attributed to Afghan security forces is likely a result of the significant growth of security operations conducted by Afghan security forces since taking primary responsibility for security throughout Afghanistan.

            Reversing declines documented in previous years, civilian casualties from aerial operations conducted by both international military forces and Afghan security forces increased by 83% in 2015, causing 296 civilian casualties (149 deaths and 147 injured).

            Offensive air-to-ground strikes carried out by Afghan security forces caused nearly half (43%) of all civilian casualties from aerial operations. Civilian casualties from Afghan security forces' aerial operations tripled in the second half of 2015 compared to the first semester.

            According to UNAMA, this increase should also be viewed in the context of the security transition and the growing ability of Afghan security forces to employ close air support without relying on international military forces.

            Civilian casualties from ground engagements increased by 15% in 2015, with 4,137 casualties (1,116 deaths and 3,021 injured).

            Just under half of these casualties – 44% (1,834 casualties, comprising 472 deaths and 1,362 injured) – resulted from ground engagements – mainly crossfire – between Anti-Government Elements and Pro-Government Forces that could not be attributed to a specific party.

            This represents an 85% increase compared to 2014 and largely resulted from ground engagements in Kunduz city between 28 September and 13 October for which UNAMA could not attribute the casualties to one party to the conflict.

            UNAMA noted that civilian casualties solely attributed to Anti-Government Elements during ground engagements decreased and casualties solely attributed to Pro-Government Forces increased.

            "In 2015, parties to the conflict failed to ensure the safety of civilians in exchange for military, territorial or political gains."

            While Taliban and other Anti-Government Elements remained responsible for the majority of civilian casualties, UNAMA documented a reduction in casualties caused by certain tactics employed by such groups – including both ground engagements and IEDs.

            "Anti-Government Elements continued to carry out suicide and complex attacks in populated areas with obvious disregard for civilians living in the vicinity of their targets - and in many cases without regard to the civilian nature of the targets."

            UNAMA once again called on all parties to the conflict to take concrete actions to prevent civilian casualties, in compliance with their obligations under international humanitarian law, in order to significantly reduce civilian casualties in 2016.

            Anti-Government Elements in particular must stop conducting complex and suicide attacks against civilian targets and carrying out attacks using explosive devices of any kind in civilian-populated areas.

            Anti-Government Elements must also immediately cease the deliberate killing of civilians and stop using illegal, indiscriminate pressure-plate IEDs.

            "All parties, including Afghan security forces, must take all feasible precautions to prevent civilian casualties in their military operations, and cease the use of heavy, indirect fire, and explosive weapons in civilian-populated areas," said the UNAMA report. – Third World Network Features.

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About the author: Kanaga Raja is the Editor of the South-North Development Monitor (SUNS) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The above article is reproduced from SUNS #8182, 17 February 2016.

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