Dual Reports Highlight Mounting Human Cost of Insurgency in Afghanistan
A NATO officer greets Afghan troops. (U.S. Army)
New reports shed light on the human costs of the ongoing war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. A Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report highlighted a sharp rise in government and civilian casualties, and a report by Human Rights Watch revealed that CIA-backed Afghan forces often committed summary executions and other abuses.
The quarterly report to Congress, released on October 30, showed that the U.S. military recorded 4,554 civilians killed and/or wounded from June 1 to September 30, 2019, a 39-percent “increase… compared to the same period last year.” Military records indicate that 7,260 civilians have been killed or wounded in 2019, while the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan puts that figure at 8,239. The majority of casualties were caused by the Taliban or other unknown insurgents, while U.S. and Afghan forces were responsible for five to 23 percent of the casualties. The difference in numbers depends on whether the military’s dataset or the UN’s is used.
Afghan government casualties also increased five percent compared to last year, but the report did not disclose the exact numbers of dead and wounded, as the U.S. keeps the data classified at the Afghan government’s request. Both the U.S. and the UN mission attribute the high numbers of casualties to the violence surrounding Afghanistan’s September presidential election. On the day of the election, the Taliban launched more than 200 attacks, although casualties were relatively low due to a show of force by Afghan troops and security forces.
The Human Rights Watch report, released on October 31, alleges that CIA-backed strike forces “committed serious abuses, some amounting to war crimes” throughout a two year period. The report documents repeated instances of extrajudicial shootings and summary executions of suspected Taliban supporters and their families. These strike groups often operate outside the normal chain-of-command and depend largely on U.S. logistical support and intelligence for so-called “kill or capture” night raids. The report alleges that paramilitary forces often target civilians on these raids “because of mistaken identity, poor intelligence, or political rivalries.”
A U. S. policy change in 2017 has led to airstrikes targeting residential buildings, causing more civilian casualties. The report also reveals instances of paramilitary groups attacking healthcare facilities that have treated wounded Taliban fighters, or executing farmers who gave food to the Taliban under duress.
The CIA, which has conducted counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan since 2001 and has trained paramilitary forces to fight against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants, disputed the report’s findings. “Many, if not all, of the claims leveled against Afghan forces are likely false or exaggerated,” said the agency. The CIA also claimed its covert operations are carried out in “accordance with law and under a robust system of oversight.”
Both reports highlight the mounting costs of the war in Afghanistan as negotiations continue surrounding a possible end to the 18-year conflict. After talks between U.S. negotiators and the Taliban broke down in early September, Russia hosted a Taliban delegation to discuss U.S. troop withdrawals. In early October, Taliban members informally met with U.S. negotiators in Pakistan, but there have been no attempts to restart the negotiation process yet.