News from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
RAWA News
News from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
RAWA News


 

 

 





 


 


Help RAWA: Order from our wish list on Amazon.com

RAWA Channel on Youtube

Follow RAWA on Twitter

Join RAWA on Facebook



NNI, November 5, 2011

ISAF killed over 1,500 civilians in night raids

Therefore, a minimum of 1,588 people (2,844 total killed minus the 1,256 targets in the lethal raids) were killed in the raids even though they weren’t targeted

U.S. Special Operatiozns Forces (SOF) killed well over 1,500 civilians in night raids in less than 10 months in 2010 and early 2011, analysis of official statistics on the raids released by the U.S.-NATO command reveals.

That number would make U.S. night raids by far the largest cause of civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan. The report by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on civilian casualties in 2010 had said the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by insurgents was the leading cause of civilian deaths, with 904, Inter Press Service reported Friday.

Except for a relatively few women and children killed by accident, the civilians who died in the raids were all adult males who were counted as insurgents in press releases and official data released by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The data on night raids, which were given to selected news media, cover three distinct 90-day night raid campaigns from May through July 2010, early August to early November, and mid-November to mid- February. The combined totals for the three periods indicate that a minimum of 2,599 rank and file insurgents were killed and an additional 723 “leaders” killed or captured in raids.

Therefore, a minimum of 1,588 people (2,844 total killed minus the 1,256 targets in the lethal raids) were killed in the raids even though they weren’t targeted. Not every one of the untargeted individuals killed in night raids was a noncombatant civilian. But the socio-cultural and physical setting of the raids guarantees that the percentage of civilians in that total is extremely high.
NNI, Nov. 5, 2011

Assuming conservatively that one-third of the alleged leaders were killed, the total number of alleged insurgents killed in the raids was 2,844.SOF night raids during the 10-month period totaled 6,282, according to the same ISAF data.

A third crucial statistic, repeated frequently by U.S and NATO officials in 2010 and 2011, is that shots were fired by SOF units in only 20 percent of night raids.A U.S. military source who has been briefed on SOF operation confirmed to IPS what has been generally known among outside observers – that anytime shots are fired by SOF troops in a night raid, someone is killed. If shots were fired in 20 percent of the 6,282 raids, it means that 2,844 were killed in 1,256 raids.

With very rare exceptions, night raids target only individuals rather than groups. They are carried out at night because they are aimed at catching the individual at home asleep and therefore taken completely by surprise.Therefore, a minimum of 1,588 people (2,844 total killed minus the 1,256 targets in the lethal raids) were killed in the raids even though they weren’t targeted. Not every one of the untargeted individuals killed in night raids was a noncombatant civilian. But the socio-cultural and physical setting of the raids guarantees that the percentage of civilians in that total is extremely high.

Within the Afghan compounds that are the physical targets of U.S. night raids live extended family households that normally include not only the male head of family and his wife, but his brothers, sons and cousins and their families.

In Afghanistan, every adult Pashtun male has a weapon in his home, and is obliged by the ancient code of conduct called “Pashtunwali” to defend his home, his family and his friends against armed intruders. In a typical extended family compound, several males have weapons.

As a result, the non-targeted civilians killed in night raids have invariably been either close relatives or neighbours who have come out to assist against an armed assault.

SOF commanders and the command and staff of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have essentially denied all civilian deaths in night raids, except for women and children, by counting all adult males killed in raids as insurgents.

Category: US-NATO, HR Violations - Views: 11820



Related

25.10.2011: U.N. Tally Excluded Most Afghan Civilian Deaths in Night Raids
22.10.2011: Afghans Allegedly Forced Onto Mined Roads
18.10.2011: Time to end night raids in Afghanistan
16.10.2011: Foreign troops kill three of a family
19.09.2011: Afghanistan: NATO's night raids cause more harm than good, report says
14.07.2011: Afghan officials say NATO raid killed 6 civilians
07.07.2011: 13 civilians killed in Khost airstrike: official
07.07.2011: Ghazni residents claim ISAF airstrike killed children
29.06.2011: Airstrike kills civilians in Wardak: witnesses
22.06.2011: ISAF kills 2 farmers in Laghman
29.05.2011: Nato airstrike kills 14 women and children in Afghanistan
28.05.2011: 112 killed in Nuristan airstrike: governor
26.05.2011: Foreign troops kill civilians in Maidan Wardak
20.05.2011: Hundreds rally against NATO forces in Logar
18.05.2011: Afghanistan: “Twelve dead” at protest over Nato raid
14.05.2011: Afghans protest boy’s killing by U.S. forces
03.03.2011: Afghans Protest NATO Air-Strike Deaths
02.03.2011: Police chief confirms 9 children killed in ISAF raid
25.09.2010: Laghman civilian deaths spark protest
26.02.2011: Afghanistan civilian casualties spike; officials say 200 killed in 2-week period
26.02.2011: Afghan government probe confirms NATO killed 65 in Kunar
24.02.2011: NATO “mistakenly” kills five civilians, Afghan official says
21.02.2011: NATO killed Afghan army soldier along with his wife and four children
20.02.2011: Afghan Officials: 64 Innocent Afghans Killed in US Military Operation
18.02.2011: Deadly Day Around Afghanistan, as Attacks Kill 17
15.02.2011: 112 Afghans killed in the past week
14.02.2011: Afghanistan Child Victims On The Rise: U.N Report
10.02.2011: Afghan war killed 2 children daily in 2010: report
02.02.2011: 2010: Worst Year for Civilian Deaths of the Afghanistan War
24.01.2011: More evidence of US war crimes
18.01.2011: ISAF strike kills 6 of a family in Kunar
20.01.2011: “Eid Gul was just one of 69 Afghan Civilians Killed by US/NATO Forces during December 2010”

Latest

Most Viewed