Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

German Army Withheld Information from US Pilots

German Army Withheld Information from US Pilots, Spiegel Online, 1 February 2010

EXCERPT: "In the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 4, 2009 bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan -- which saw a German-ordered attack result in the deaths of up to 142 people, many of them civilians -- it quickly became clear that NATO rules of engagement may have been flouted. Now, SPIEGEL has learned that German commanders on the ground withheld important information from the US pilots above Kunduz -- information which, had it been available, might have led to the pilots' refusing to drop their payload. One pilot, who goes by the handle Dude 15, told NATO investigators that, prior to the bombing, he had 'an uneasy feeling about everything.' He and the pilot of a second F-15 flying over Kunduz that night both 'could tell the ground commander was really pushing to go kinetic' -- in other words, to bomb. He said they even considered breaking off the operation altogether. The bombing took place after the Taliban hijacked two tanker trucks full of fuel. In an attempt to cross the Kunduz River, however, the two tankers became stuck in a sandbank in the middle of the night. Faced with no other alternative, the Taliban encouraged locals to come and fill up containers with the gasoline. Before long, dozens of people had gathered on the sandbank to take advantage of the situation."

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Related articles:
KSK reportedly had key role in Kunduz airstrike, The Local, 31 January 2010
Afghanistan: Germans uneasy over mission, BBC News, 27 January 2010
Factbox: Germany's strategy for Afghanistan, Reuters, 26 January 2010
Top US general chides Germany on Afghan strategy, Deutsche Welle, 20 January 2010

Related posts:
Kunduz airstrike inquiry begins in Berlin, 22 January 2010
German compensation for airstrike victims moves forward, 15 January 2010
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009
Afghanistan: Understanding German objectives and strategies, 10 July 2009
What does Berlin want in Afghanistan?, 10 March 2009

Kunduz Airstrike Inquiry Begins in Berlin

Kunduz Airstrike Inquiry Begins in Berlin, Deutsche Welle, 21 January 2010

EXCERPT: "The official investigation into a deadly NATO airstrike ordered by a German colonel in Afghanistan last year has now begun in Berlin. It is expected to last at least a year, with 100 requests for items of evidence and around 40 witnesses to be heard from Germany's political and military circles. The inquiry aims to clarify exactly what happened on September 4 in northern Afghanistan when German Colonel Georg Klein ordered an airstrike on two hijacked fuel tankers. Up to 142 people were killed in the strike, including, it is believed, dozens of civilians. The incident led to a major political row in Germany, claiming the jobs of then-minister of defense, Franz Josef Jung, and Gemany's top military officer, Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Besides looking at the exact circumstances of the airstrike, the investigation will examine the chain of political events afterward. However, the ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) has accused the opposition of using the inquiry to score points. 'It already became clear in the inter-party talks that the opposition is not interested in a factual clarification, but in a political farce,' said CDU defense spokesman Ernst-Reinhard Beck."

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Related articles:
Merkel lacks clear Afghan strategy, opposition says, AlertNet, 22 January 2010
Germany denies report 1,500 more troops to go to Afghanistan, Bloomberg, 22 January 2010
Guttenberg defiant over Afghanistan strategy, Bild, 21 January 2010
New head of German military to be sworn in, Deutsche Welle, 21 January 2010

Related posts:
German compensation for airstrike victims moves forward, 15 January 2010
Germany's DM denies new accusations on airstrike, 14 December 2009
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009
German troops OK in calling for airstrike: General, 29 October 2009
30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission, 14 September 2009

Could Foreign Troop Surge Exacerbate Vulnerability?

Afghanistan: Could Foreign Troop Surge Exacerbate Vulnerability?, IRIN News, 19 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Thousands of fresh foreign troops arrive in Afghanistan this year, but some prominent aid agencies are voicing concerns that this could lead to the intensification of the conflict, with dire humanitarian consequences. The civilian death toll has been mounting, and insecurity, attacks on, and intimidation of, aid agencies have also squeezed humanitarian space across the country, thus reducing or denying essential services to many vulnerable communities. 'In our experience, every massive increase in troops since 2005 has led to intensification and spreading of the conflict and an increase in civilian casualties,' Reto Stocker, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Afghanistan, told IRIN. Over eight years after the Taliban were ousted by a US-led military intervention, the situation in the country has been described as fragile and critical by the UN Secretary-General - a point further emphasized on 18 January with a series of deadly attacks on the centre of Kabul. "

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Related articles:
Shift aid focus in Afghanistan, says UN envoy, Money Control, 18 January 2010
Roadside bomb kills 3 aid workers in S Afghanistan, China View, 10 January 2010
British minister: Aid to Afghanistan is conditional on Karzai government's performance, The Canadian Press, 9 January 2010
UN envoy to Afghanistan warns of peril of emphasizing security over social issues, The New York Times, 6 January 2010

Related posts:
Afghanistan among top ten humanitarian crises: Report, 23 December 2009
Afghanistan aid presence shrinks further, 10 November 2009
"Situation is critical and demands urgent action": NGOs, 15 October 2009
Instability threatens humanitarian assistance, 22 July 2009
Mid-year review of the 2009 humanitarian action plan, 21 July 2009

Over 2,400 Civilian Deaths in 2009: UNAMA

Over 2,400 Civilian Deaths in 2009: UNAMA, IRIN News, 13 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Armed conflict in Afghanistan is taking an increasing toll on civilians, according to figures released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). At least 5,978 civilians were killed or injured in 2009, UNAMA said in a report entitled Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 2009. 'UNAMA Human Rights [unit] recorded a total of 2,412 civilian deaths between 1 January and 31 December 2009. This figure represents an increase of 14 percent on the 2,118 civilian deaths recorded in 2008,' said the report released on 13 January 2010. Afghans in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Uruzgan and Zabul, where the conflict is the most intense, were the most severely affected, the report said. The average monthly number of security incidents was 960 in 2009 - up from 741 in 2008 (a 29.6 percent rise)."

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Related articles:
Afghan civilian deaths rose 14% in 2009, says UN report, BBC News, 13 January 2010
Taliban blamed for most civilian deaths, UPI, 13 January 2010

Related report:
Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2009 [pdf], United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 13 January 2010

Related posts:
2009 worst year for Afghan children: ARM, 6 January 2010
Over 2,000 civilians killed in first 10 months of 2009, 12 November 2009
Western troops concede more civilian deaths, 16 August 2009
1013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009, 31 July 2009
Terrorism kills more civilians than military action, 13 July 2009

2009 Worst Year for Afghan Children: ARM

2009 Worst Year for Children: Rights Watchdog, IRIN News, 6 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Armed conflict killed hundreds of children and adversely affected many others in 2009 - the deadliest year for Afghan children since 2001 - an Afghan human rights group has said. About 1,050 children died in suicide attacks, roadside blasts, air strikes and in the cross-fire between Taliban insurgents and pro-government Afghan and foreign forces from January to December 2009, the Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) a Kabul-based rights group, said in a statement on 6 January. 'At least three children were killed in war-related incidents every day in 2009, and many others suffered in diverse but mostly unreported ways,' Ajmal Samadi, ARM's director, was quoted in the statement as saying. ARM said it recorded at least 2,080 cases of grave violations of child rights in 2009. These included the recruitment of children as suicide bombers and foot soldiers, murder, rape, forced labour, and the denial of essential services by warring parties and criminal groups."

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Related articles:
Afghan blast kills 4 children, wounds US soldiers, Yahoo! News, 6 January 2010
Afghan civilian casualties up 10%: UN, AFP, 29 December 2009
Continued militancy makes future bleak for Afghans, China View, 23 December 2009
2009 mixed year for human rights, VOA News, 22 December 2009

Related posts:
Afghanistan is world's worst place to be born, 19 November 2009
Taliban increasingly use children as bombers, shields, 26 October 2009
Mental health problems in Afghan youth, 21 August 2009
Violence against Afghan children rising: UN, 24 November 2008
The general situation of children in Afghanistan, 21 April 2008

School Children Killed in Coalition Raid: UN

School Children Killed in Coalition Raid in Afghanistan: UN Probe Finds, The Canadian Press, 1 January 2010

EXCERPT: "A preliminary United Nations investigation has found that eight students were among 10 Afghan civilians killed in Kunar province on Sunday. A statement Thursday by Kai Eide, special UN representative, says the deaths occurred during a raid by Afghan and international military forces in the province's Narang district. 'Based on our initial investigation, eight of those killed were students enrolled in local schools,' Eide said. 'There is also evidence to strongly indicate that there were insurgents in the area at the time.' At the same time, Eide said, many details of the incident remained unclear. The incident outraged President Hamid Karzai, and prompted demonstrations against the international coalition in several cities across Afghanistan. Afghanistan's government on Thursday also demanded that those responsible for the deaths of 'innocent youths' be turned over to its custody. NATO has denied its forces were involved, suggesting 'non-military Americans' had returned fire in self-defence."

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Related articles:
Afghans investigate reports of more civilian deaths, The New York Times, 1 January 2010
Kabul demands foreign "killers" handed over, AFP, 1 January 2010
Afghan civilians killed in air raid, Al Jazeera, 31 December 2009
War-weary Afghans foresee more violence in 2010, China View, 31 December 2009

Related posts:
NATO airstrike "kills three Afghan civilians", 18 December 2009
Western troops concede more civilian deaths, 16 August 2009
New tactic for US, NATO in Afghanistan: Say sorry, 17 April 2009
Civilians and the international security strategy, 3 April 2009
UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent, 17 February 2009

Hunting Insurgents Afghan Police Kill Senator

Afghan Police Hunting Insurgent Kill Parliament Member Instead, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 2009

EXCERPT: "Police hunting for a wounded insurgent commander mistakenly ambushed a vehicle carrying a member of the Afghan parliament, killing him and his son, provincial officials said today. President Hamid Karzai ordered an investigation into the incident, which took place overnight in Baghlan province, in Afghanistan's north. . . The lawmaker, Mohammad Yunos Shirnagha, was returning home after a late-night meeting with constituents when the shootout with police erupted, said Gen. Kabir Andarabi, the provincial police chief. Police in the provincial capital, Pul-i-Khumri, had been expecting insurgents to try to transport a commander who was believed to have been injured in a clash hours earlier, on Tuesday. That battle left four police officers and at least four militants dead, and several insurgents wounded. . . The police said the lawmaker's car ran a roadblock set up by the authorities and that his vehicle was hit after the firing of warning shots into the air. But some fellow members of the upper house of parliament, and two surviving bodyguards, expressed doubts that police had properly identified themselves before opening fire. The incident raises new questions about the training and abilities of the Afghan security forces, which are a linchpin of the Obama administration's plans for an eventual drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan."

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Related articles:
Afghan senator and son shot dead by police, Reuters Africa, 23 December 2009
Over ten suspected Taliban militants killed, wounded in N. Afghanistan, China View, 23 December 2009

Related posts:
National Police "part of the problem", 21 December 2009
Afghan training mission faces tough obstacles, 3 December 2009
Afghan police weak link in security sector reform, 14 August 2009
'Afghan police face critical tasks', 30 April 2009
Policing in Afghanistan: Still searching for a strategy, 18 December 2008

NATO Airstrike "Kills Three Afghan Civilians"

NATO Airstrike "Kills Three Afghan Civilians", AFP, 18 December 2009

EXCERPT: "A NATO air strike against suspected militants in troubled southern Afghanistan killed three civilians and wounded one other, local government and hospital officials said Friday. The civilians were in a minibus travelling just before midnight on the main southern highway when they were attacked by helicopter gunships in Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province, the provincial governor's office said. 'Three male civilians have been killed and a woman has been wounded as a result of this attack,' a statement read. Their bodies were taken back to their home province of Uruzgan, the provincial health director told AFP. 'Three dead bodies were brought to us in Uruzgan today and the wounded woman has been taken by the foreign forces for treatment,' Uruzgan's health director Khan Agha Miakhail said. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said they were targeting militants planting roadside bombs, and were investigating reports that civilians were killed in the strike."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
In Afghanistan, NATO is fighting for its life, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 December 2009
Nato fails to gain Russia aid in Afghanistan, BBC News, 17 December 2009
Top general says it will take a year to know if NATO winning Afghan war, The Canadian Press, 17 December 2009
Afghan troops should start taking over from Nato in 2010, says Brown, The Guardian, 14 December 2009

Related posts:
Airstrike kills eight in Afghanistan, 1 October 2009
30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission, 14 September 2009
New tactic for US, NATO in Afghanistan: Say sorry, 17 April 2009
NATO Afghanistan report 2009, 1 April 2009
Afghan MPs warn foreign troops on civilian deaths, 9 July 2008

Germany's DM Denies New Accusations on Airstrike

Defense Minister Denies New Accusations Linked to Afghan Airstrike, Deutsche Welle, 14 December 2009

EXCERPT: "Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told Bild am Sonntag weekly that the officials had withheld crucial information regarding the airstrike on September 4 in Kunduz. 'For that the two gentlemen have taken responsibility,' he said. The two men - the head of Germany's armed forces, General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn and Deputy Defense Minister Peter Wichert - stepped down last month over the affair which has sparked a heated political controversy in Germany. But Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung refuted the minister's account, reporting that the two officials had given Guttenberg an account of all available reports about the airstrike when he inquired about it. German officials have said that up to 142 people are believed to have died or been injured in the September 4 airstrike on two tanker trucks in Kunduz that had been captured by the Taliban. Local Afghan leaders have estimated the number of civilian deaths at between 30 and 40."

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Related articles:
Defense minister refuses to resign over Afghan airstrike, Deutsche Welle, 14 December 2009
"Germany is not armed for war", Spiegel Online, 14 December 2009
Afghan air strike wreaks more havoc in Germany, AFP, 13 December 2009
Afghanistan: Germany says no to sending more soldiers to help US, The Telegraph, 13 December 2009

Related posts:
Germany to compensate Afghan airstrike victims, 7 December 2009
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009
Germany approves extension of Bundeswehr missions, 18 November 2009
30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission, 14 September 2009
Afghanistan: Understanding German objectives and strategies, 10 July 2009

Germany to Compensate Afghan Airstrike Victims

Germany says to pay damages to Afghan Strike Victims , Reuters India, 7 December 2009

EXCERPT: "Germany's government will pay compensation to the families of civilian victims of September's German-ordered air strike in Afghanistan which Kabul says killed 30 civilians as well as insurgents, a spokesman said on Monday. A defence ministry spokesman told reporters that German officials had been in contact with a lawyer representing the victims' relatives. 'We have said we will be in touch with him to discuss the demands for compensation. We will look at how this is to be done in concrete terms,' Defence Ministry spokesman Christian Dienst said at a regular government news conference. 'The question will be whether we want a legal battle stretching over years or whether we can come to an agreement out of court,' said Dienst, adding a solution would be found. New revelations about the controversial air strike, near the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, has thrust the issue of Afghanistan into the spotlight and caused Chancellor Angela Merkel a major headache at the start of her second term."

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Related articles:
Guilt and compensation: Did German defense minister know more than he let on?, Spiegel Online, 7 December 2009 
Merkel on the defensive in Afghanistan, Spiegel Online, 7 December 2009 

Related posts:
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009 
Germany minister resigns over Afghan airstrike, 27 November 2009 
Germany: Civilians likely killed in Afghan strike, 6 November 2009 
German troops OK in calling for airstrike: General, 29 October 2009 
Germans thrust into "war" in perilous Afghan north, 20 October 2009