Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

One Year After the Kunduz Air Strike, No Sign of a Full Investigation

One Year After the Kunduz Air Strike, No Sign of a Full Investigation, Spiegel Online, 30 August 2010

EXCERPT: "After the deadly German-ordered air strike in Kunduz on Sept. 4, 2009, German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised a full investigation. One year on, questions about the bombing in Afghanistan are still unanswered and many of the details remain classified. The chancellor had made a personal commitment to resolving the case. On Sept. 8, 2009, after waffling for four days following the horrific bombing of two tanker trucks stuck on a sandbar in the Kunduz River, Angela Merkel finally made a clear statement. 'For me and the entire government, it is a matter of course that the incident will be fully resolved,' the chancellor promised the nation. The German military, she added, would 'do everything within its power to contribute to the investigation.' Merkel's personal pledge was completely warranted. On Sept. 4, 2009, German Colonel Georg Klein ordered the bombing of two tanker trucks in Afghanistan's Kunduz Province. The attack killed up to 142 people, including many civilians. It was an incident that brought home the reality of the war to Germany. But the government did everything it could to ensure that this reality would reach Germany in highly filtered form. The Kunduz air strike was covered up, kept quiet and downplayed as much as possible. Even today, little has changed."

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Related articles:
Kunduz bombing victim: "The Germans lied to all of us", Spiegel Online, 30 August 2010
German defence minister visits Afghan combat zone, M&C, 29 August 2010

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Germany drops Kunduz raid probe, 20 August 2010
German offensive aims to repair security, reputation, 11 August 2010
German troops battle growing northern insurgency, 4 May 2010
Kunduz airstrike inquiry begins in Berlin, 22 January 2010
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009

Afghan Election Campaign Workers "Killed in Air Strike"

Afghan Election Campaign Workers "Killed in Air Strike", BBC News, 2 September 2010

EXCERPT: "Ten election campaign workers have been killed in an air strike by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, officials say. The governor of the northern province of Takhar, Abduljabar Taqwa, told the BBC that two people were also wounded in the attack in the Rostaq district. President Hamid Karzai condemned the incident, saying that 'pro-democracy people should be distinguished from those who fight against democracy'. A Nato spokesman said a 'precision air strike' had hit a militant's vehicle. The target was a senior member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who regularly co-ordinated and conducted attacks with known IMU and Taliban insurgents, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said. The Isaf statement said 'initial reflections' indicated that eight to 12 insurgents were killed or wounded, including a Taliban commander."

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Related articles:
Karzai condemns air strike as Gates arrives, Reuters, 2 September 2010
Military now bragging about Afghan air strikes, Wired, 1 September 2010
Pratap Chaterjee: Killing the wrong people in Afghanistan, CBS News, 20 August 2010

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NATO strike cited in Afghan civilian deaths, 14 August 2010
Afghan villagers protest over NATO "civilian killings", 12 August 2010
NATO to blame for rocket attack that killed dozens: Karzai, 26 July 2010
US drone crew blamed for Afghan civilian deaths, 31 May 2010
"Unjustifiable" NATO air strike kills 27 civilians, 22 February 2010

NATO Strike Cited in Afghan Civilian Deaths

NATO Strike Cited in Afghan Civilian Deaths, The New York Times, 14 August 2010

EXCERPT: "There is a 'fair chance' that a NATO jet inadvertently killed five Afghan civilians during a shootout with Taliban fighters in a village in southern Afghanistan earlier this week, an American official said Saturday. Some details were still unclear, but a local Afghan official and two witnesses said that the civilians were killed Thursday afternoon when a NATO aircraft fired on a house after a firefight with Taliban militants who had attacked a NATO convoy. The Taliban were operating in Luchak, a farming village in central Helmand Province, the epicenter of the insurgency. When the convoy arrived in Luchak, about a half-dozen Taliban fighters opened fire from behind a wall next to a house. After a 10-minute exchange of fire, the insurgents ran away, the witnesses said. Then, about 10 minutes later, a pair of helicopters appeared in the sky, the villagers said. Maj. Michael Johnson, a NATO spokesman, said the aircraft was a plane that had come in support of the troops on the ground. The witnesses said the aircraft fired on the house, killing five men inside. Two Afghans were wounded."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Analysis: Probing war crimes in Afghanistan, IRIN News, 15 August 2010
Afghan attack kills three children, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 August 2010
Afghans say they're caught in a crossfire, UPI, 14 August 2010

Related posts:
Afghan villagers protest over NATO "civilian killings", 12 August 2010
UN report says Afghan civilian toll up 31 percent, 10 August 2010
Afghanistan says 39 civilians died in disputed NATO attack, 5 August 2010
NATO to blame for rocket attack that killed dozens: Karzai, 26 July 2010
"Unjustifiable" NATO air strike kills 27 civilians, 22 February 2010

Afghanistan Says 39 Civilians Died in Disputed NATO Attack

Afghanistan Says 39 Civilians Died in Disputed NATO Attack, Reuters, 5 August 2010

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's government says a new investigation shows 39 civilians, all women or children, were killed in a NATO rocket attack last month, fewer than first reported but dozens more than foreign forces have conceded. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it has been checking reports of civilian deaths since the government first said nearly two weeks ago that over 50 people had been killed by a rocket strike in southern Helmand province. On Thursday, an ISAF spokesman, Lt. Raymond Jeffery, said he had no information about the result or progress of any probe and could not comment on the 39 deaths reported by President Hamid Karzai's office late on Wednesday. ISAF previously said an initial assessment showed six people died in an incident in the area and at the time in question, and that a 'majority' were insurgents. Those killed in the rocket were civilians who had crammed in a house after fleeing a clash between the Taliban and joint Afghan and foreign forces, the Afghan presidential office said in its statement."

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Related articles:
Afghans protest alleged NATO civilian deaths, AFP, 1 August 2010
Helmand residents accuse Nato of deliberate attack on civilians, The Guardian, 27 July 2010
Nato says cannot verify Afghan civilian deaths, DAWN, 27 July 2010

Related posts:
NATO to blame for rocket attack that killed dozens: Karzai, 26 July 2010
Conflict kills, injures 14 civilians everyday: ARM, 12 July 2010
US drone crew blamed for Afghan civilian deaths, 31 May 2010
"Unjustifiable" NATO air strike kills 27 civilians, 22 February 2010
NATO rockets kill 12 Afghan civilians, 15 February 2010

NATO to Blame for Rocket Attack that Killed Dozens: Karzai

Afghanistan: NATO to Blame for Rocket Attack that Killed Dozens, The Guardian, 26 July 2010

EXCERPT: "The Afghan government today blamed a Nato rocket in Helmand last week for the deaths of at least 45 civilians, including women and children. The allegation came as leaked US military intelligence reports revealed a large number of formerly unreported incidents in which innocent bystanders had been killed by operations involving foreign forces. Despite strenuous recent efforts to stop such tragedies by restricting the freedom with which Nato soldiers can use lethal force, the latest incident happened on Friday as dozens of people from the village of Regey were hiding from nearby fighting between foreign forces and the Taliban, according to a government spokesman. 'The investigation shows that the rocket was fired by Nato and 45 civilians, many of them women and children, have been killed,' Siyamak Herawi told Reuters. Some reports said the toll was as high as 52, including 17 women and seven children. Tonight the government's claim was rejected by the Isaf communication director, Rear Admiral Greg Smith."

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Related articles:
NATO-Afghan probe of attack finds no civilian deaths as Karzai cites 52, Bloomberg, 26 July 2010
Amnesty: Afghanistan leak exposes NATO’s incoherent civilian casualty policy, ReliefWeb, 26 July 2010
US military curbs "reduce"Afghan attacks in some areas, BBC News, 24 July 2010
Diggers could be charged over civilian deaths, ABC News, 23 July 2010

Related resource:
Luke N. Condra, Joseph H. Felter, Radha K. Iyengar, and, Jacob N. Shapiro, The Effect of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 1 July 2010

Related posts:
Conflict kills, injures 14 civilians everyday: ARM, 12 July 2010
Civilian casualties rising in Afghanistan, 13 May 2010
Civilian deaths increase by 33%: Govt, 3 May 2010
NATO to reward "courageous restraint" in civilian killings, 4 May 2010
NATO admits four killed were civilians, 21 April 2010

5 Afghan Soldiers Killed by NATO "Friendly Fire"

5 Afghan Soldiers Killed by NATO "Friendly Fire", Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Gen. David H. Petraeus on Wednesday marked an early and unwelcome milestone in his tenure as commander of Western forces here: apologizing after his troops accidentally killed five Afghan soldiers. 'Friendly fire' incidents are relatively rare, but they stir animosity among many in the Afghan military, whose partnership with the NATO force is central to President Obama's hopes that American troops can begin drawing down a year from now. Afghan and NATO officials both said the incident was under investigation, but in the past such accidental deaths have been blamed on poor communication and coordination and -- often -- nighttime confusion. The five Afghan soldiers were killed before dawn by a NATO airstrike as they prepared to attack insurgents in the Andar district of Ghazni province, in south-central Afghanistan. Western spotters apparently mistook the Afghan troops for armed militants."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
10 Afghans, 80 Taliban killed as Petraeus takes command, Sify, 4 July 2010
Wikileaks plans to release files about deadly U.S. airstrike on Afghan civilians, The Washington Post, 22 June 2010
Afghan civilians said to be killed in an airstrike, The New York Times, 19 June 2010

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UN report faults prolific use of drone strikes by US, 3 June 2010
US drone crew blamed for Afghan civilian deaths, 31 May 2010
"Unjustifiable" NATO airstrike kills 27 civilians, 22 February 2010
Under McChrystal, drone strikes quietly rise, 14 January 2010

UN Report Faults Prolific Use of Drone Strikes by US

 UN Report Faults Prolific Use of Drone Strikes by US, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2010

EXCERPT: "The campaign of CIA drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan has made the United States 'the most prolific user of targeted killings' in the world, said a United Nations official, who urged that responsibility for the program be taken from the spy agency. Philip Alston, a New York University law professor who serves as the U.N.'s special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, made the comments Wednesday as he released a report on targeted killings. The report criticizes the U.S. for asserting 'an ever-expanding entitlement for itself to target individuals across the globe' in its fight against Al Qaeda and other militant groups. Alston acknowledged that the right to self-defense may justify drone strikes in Pakistan, where the planners of the Sept. 11 attacks are thought to have fled. But he questioned whether that right extended to other countries where links to the attacks are more remote, such as Yemen or Somalia. He urged the U.S. to be more open about the program."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
US defends unmanned drone attacks after harsh UN report, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2010
UN official: drone attacks controlled away from battlefield may lead to "PlayStation" mentality, The Telegraph, 3 June 2010
Drone increase, Financial Times, 3 June 2010

Related resource:
Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston - Study on Targeted Killings [pdf], United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, 3 June 2010

Related posts:
US drone crew blamed for Afghan civilian deaths, 31 May 2010
CIA deaths prompt drone strike surge, 25 January 2010
Under McChrystal, drone strikes quietly rise, 14 January 2010
US drone strikes may break international law: UN, 28 October 2009

US Drone Crew Blamed for Afghan Civilian Deaths

US Drone Crew Blamed for Afghan Civilian Deaths, ABC News, 29 May 2010

EXCERPT: "U.S. military investigators found that 'inaccurate and unprofessional' reporting by U.S. operators of a Predator drone was responsible for a missile strike that killed 23 Afghan civilians in February, according to a report released Saturday. Release of the scathing report is part of a U.S. effort to counter rising public anger over civilian deaths, which threatens to undermine the campaign against the Taliban at a critical juncture in the nearly nine-year war. Twelve other civilians including a woman and three children were wounded in the missile strike, the report said. Four American officers — two described as senior — received career-damaging reprimands, the U.S. command said in a statement. The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, called on the Air Force to investigate the actions of the Predator crew."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghan deaths spur US reprimands, The Wall Street Journal, 31 May 2010
Drone operators blamed in airstrike that killed Afghan civilians in February, The Washington Post, 30 May 2010
The truth about drones, Newsweek, 30 May 2010
UN official to ask US to end CIA drone strikes, The New York Times, 27 May 2010

Related posts:
US launches criminal probe on soldiers in Afghanistan, 20 May 2010
Civilian casualties rising in Afghanistan, 13 May 2010
NATO admits four killed were civilians, 21 April 2010
US troops kill 4 on passenger bus, 12 April 2010

"Unjustifiable" NATO Air Strike Kills 27 Civilians

Afghanistan Condemns Deadly Nato Air Strike in Uruzgan, BBC News, 22 February 2010

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's government has condemned a Nato air strike on a convoy of vehicles in the south of the country, which killed at least 27 civilians. Nato said it had hit a suspected insurgent convoy, but troops then found 'a number of individuals killed and wounded', including women and children. Sunday's attack, in Uruzgan province, was not part of a major Nato-led push in neighbouring Helmand province. Civilian deaths in strikes have caused widespread resentment in Afghanistan. After initial reports put the death-toll at 33, a revised statement lowered the figure to 27, including four women and one child. [...] The Afghan government condemned Sunday's air strike, calling it 'unjustifiable' and 'a major obstacle' to effective counter-terrorism efforts. The cabinet also called on Nato 'to closely co-ordinate and exercise maximum care before conducting any military operation so that any possible mistakes that may result in harming civilians... can be avoided'."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
McChrystal apologizes as airstrike kills dozens in Afghanistan, CNN, 22 February 2010
Deadly blast hits Afghanistan, Al Jazeera, 22 February 2010
Afghan leader urges coalition troops to curb civilian deaths, Los Angeles Times, 21 February 2010
Drone pilots have a front-row seat on war, from half a world away, Los Angeles Times, 21 February 2010

Related posts:
Concern over civilians slows NATO advance, 19 February 2010
US curtails use of airstrikes in Marja assault, 16 February 2010
NATO rockets kill 12 Afghan civilians, 15 February 2010
Kunduz airstrike inquiry begins in Berlin, 22 January 2010
Over 2,400 civilian deaths in 2009: UNAMA, 13 January 2010

NATO Airstrike Kills Seven Afghan Police

NATO Airstrike Kills Seven Afghan Police, AFP, 18 February 2010

EXCERPT: "A NATO air strike mistakenly killed seven Afghan police and wounded two others in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, hospital and government officials said. The NATO-run International Security Assistance Force confirmed an 'incident' but a spokesman told AFP the military was 'still tracking down what happened' in Kunduz province, where Taliban violence has recently picked up. 'Around 2:30 pm (1000 GMT), an Afghan army, police and NATO patrol were attacked by Taliban in Imam Sahib district,' Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP in the capital Kabul. NATO called in an air strike and 'the Afghan forces were bombed by mistake,' the spokesman said. 'Seven policemen were killed, including two officers, and two policemen were wounded,' he said. The director of the main hospital in Kunduz, Noor Ull-Haq Hakimi, confirmed that the bodies of seven policemen were brought in along with two who were wounded after the incident."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
A look at NATO combat rules in Afghanistan, The Associated Press, 17 February 2010
Five civilians killed, two injured in NATO airstrike in Afghanistan, China View, 16 February 2010
NATO airstrike kills 4 Afghan troops, Los Angeles Times, 31 January 2010

Related posts:
NATO rockets kill 12 Afghan civilians, 15 February 2010
Kunduz airstrike inquiry begins in Berlin, 22 January 2010
Under McChrystal, drone strikes quietly rise, 14 January 2010
NATO airstrike "kills three Afghan civilians", 18 December 2009
30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission, 14 September 2009