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| Afghanistan |
| US probe finds fewer Afghan deaths than UN claimed |
| 2008-09-02 |
| A U.S. investigation into U.N. and Afghan allegations that dozens of civilians were killed during an operation in a small village found Tuesday that up to seven civilians died but that the overwhelming majority of the dead were Taliban. An Afghan government commission concluded that 90 civilians were killed in the Aug. 22 fighting in Azizabad — a claim backed by a preliminary U.N. report. The U.S. report Tuesday said 30 to 35 of those killed were Taliban fighters. The civilian death claims in Azizabad has caused new friction between President Hamid Karzai and his Western supporters. Karzai has long castigated Western military commanders over civilian deaths resulting from their raids. The U.S. report said American and Afghan forces took fire from militants while approaching Azizabad. The incoming fire "justified use of well-aimed small-arms fire and close air support to defend the combined force," the report said. The U.S. said its range in casualty numbers was determined by observation of enemy movements during the engagement and on-site observations immediately after the battle. It said a known Taliban commander, Mullah Siddiq, and five to seven civilians were among the dead. Two civilians were wounded. Five Taliban were detained, the report said. The report left open the possibility that evidence could emerge to prove that more people died in Azizabad. "No other evidence that may have been collected by other organizations was provided to the U.S. Investigating Officer and therefore could not be considered in the findings," the report said. No conclusive photos or video have been made public to back the claim of 90 civilians killed. However, Nek Mohammad Ishaq, a provincial council member in Herat and a member of the Afghan commission, has said photographs and video of the victims were with Afghanistan's secretive intelligence service. The U.S. report said that investigators discovered evidence that the militants planned to attack a nearby coalition base. Evidence collected included weapons, explosives, intelligence materials and an access badge to the base, as well as photographs from inside and outside the base, the report said. The report said that the investigating officer watched video of the engagement and looked at topographic photo comparisons of the area before and after, including burial sites. Karzai ratcheted up pressure on Western militaries after the fighting in Azizabad by ordering a review of whether the U.S. and NATO should be allowed to use airstrikes or carry out raids in villages. Karzai also called for an updated "status of force" agreement between the Afghan government and foreign militaries. Claims of civilian deaths can be tricky. Relatives of Afghan victims are given condolence payments by Karzai's government and the U.S. military, providing an incentive to make false claims. U.S. officials also say Taliban militants force civilians to make false claims as part of their propaganda war against the West. And Taliban militants have increasingly adopted the tactic of firing from civilian homes or hiding among normal Afghans. "The enemy knowingly hides behind women and children, they dress in burqas," Maj. Gen. Jeffery J. Schloesser told The Associated Press on Monday. "The enemy makes it extraordinarily difficult to avoid civilian casualties. We don't even know it (civilian casualties occurred) until they fighting is over." The top NATO spokesman in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the U.S.-led coalition, Afghan government and U.N. would investigate the raid. No Afghan officials have confirmed that the Afghan government would take part in a three-way investigation. A member of Afghanistan's investigating commission, Mohammad Iqbal Safi, a member of parliament, said the U.S. report would not change the finding of the Afghan body. He said many Afghan households have weapons, but that doesn't make them militants. "Again I want to emphasize that all the victims were civilians, and there were no Taliban among the dead," Safi said. "All the men killed in the operation were the employees of the private security company working at the coalition base. So how could they be Taliban?" Ahmad Nader Nadery, the head of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, has said that a villager named Reza, whose compound bore the brunt of the attack, had a private security company that worked for the U.S. military at nearby Shindand airport. Villagers and officials have said the operation was based on faulty information provided by Reza's rival, Nader Tawakal. Attempts to locate Tawakal have failed. Aziz Ahmad Nadem, a member of parliament from Herat, has told the AP that Tawakal is now being protected by the U.S. military. Afghan officials say U.S. special forces and Afghan commandos raided the village while hundreds of people were gathered in a large compound for a memorial service honoring a tribal leader, Timor Shah, who was killed eight months ago by Tawakal. Reza, who was killed in the Aug. 22 operation, is Shah's brother. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #3 However, Nek Mohammad Ishaq, a provincial council member in Herat and a member of the Afghan commission, has said photographs and video of the victims were with Afghanistan's secretive intelligence service. Why would they classify this kind of information? I call BS. Especially in light of the fact that someone(s) is just dying to pin a good one on the Coalition. If they had evidence, it would be all over the news in a heartbeat, and probably through official sources. Again, someone got overexcited about the prospect of finally getting the evidence they've been having wet dreams about and now has to backpedal to cover their terrorist a$$, and it looks like once again the Coalition gets to play the role of scapegoat because they know we won't pound their primitive/worthless a$$ and/or kill their family. In terms of PR value and manpower, I'm beginning to think that perhaps it would be cheaper and easier to just park a surveillance drone then a satellite over these scenes and watch to see if Paleo Productions shows up to stage another massacre scene (probably 10 seconds after the obvious drone flies off). If they don't react in 72 hours I figure we can call it a done deal, since they seem to be so anxious about burying their dead in a secret location within ten minutes so they can run down and turn in their pre-filled bereavement claim forms. That would put that kind of $hit to rest once and for all. Even if Paleo Productions didn't show up, it would be interesting to hear the locals explain how they buried their dead without it showing up on the satellite surveillance. And if activity does show up, go there with some forensic teams and see what they really buried there. |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-09-02 16:08 |
#2 Hmm. Should have provided a separate the link and italicized the text. PIMF.
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| Posted by: ed 2008-09-02 14:05 |
| #1 A few days old: One American military official, who has seen photographs taken at the scene as troops went house to house assessing damage and casualties, said there was no evidence to support the higher civilian death toll. Nor was there any evidence of a large number of recently dug graves or large number of injuries reported in local hospitals, the official said. ... American commanders said that even before the shooting started, allied troops saw women and children fleeing the compound into the night. By dawn, the fighting had ended. Combat photographers documented the scene, according to the Americans. In addition to the 25 militants, including Mullah Sadiq, two women and three children were killed, possibly in the cross-fire, American officials said. One woman and one child who were wounded in the fighting were flown on American helicopters to receive medical attention, the Americans said. The allied forces seized several dozen men in the compound, eventually releasing all but about half a dozen. There were no women or children left in the compound, American officials said. The Afghan and American forces seized several assault rifles, 4,000 rounds of ammunition, mines, bomb-making materials, grenades, $4,000 in American and Afghan currency, as well as photographs of the exterior of American bases in the area, the Americans said. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-09-02 14:04 |