To kill Taliban commanders, Afghan govt accepts death of hundret civilians

04/04/2018
Archi massacre
Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA)
On April 2, 2018 the Afghan government air forces targeted a gathering in Archi district of the Kunduz province of Afghanistan and killed and wounded hundreds of civilians including tens of children. The public gathering was organized in area under the control of Taliban where thousands of people attended in a graduation ceremony. Some of the Taliban commanders and militants were also among the participants of the gathering.

The declaration of the president palace and as well as the statements of the Ministry of Defense, shamelessly justify their brutal military operation and killing of more than 60 civilians and 150 injured. The government shared with media a list of Taliban commanders that have been killed in 2nd April air strikes to show they have targeted the right place and right people! However, the residents of the Archi district, the wounded people and children and the reports from the Kunduz hospitals all prove that 85% of the victims are civilians and children and students.

According to the Geneva conventions and Rome Statute of the ICC, targeting civilians and blind air strikes that resulte in casualties and loss to the civilians is a war crime and the perpetrators must be prosecuted.
The government of Afghanistan by killing of few Taliban commanders will be not recognized innocent while leaving behind 60 dead and 150 injured civilians and children in the same operation.

Taliban and Daesh also offer the same excuse for their suicide attacks while targeting the government security forces. But, the actual number of the casualties of the civilians is ten times more than the government forces.

Following the protests of the residents of Archi and showing on media the pictures of dead and injured bodies of tens of children and hundreds of other civilians, the government of Afghanistan, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan altogether tasked a commission to investigate the case and provide a report! In fact this is not the first case of war crimes committed by the Afghan government or US/Nato forces. In Sept 2009 the Germany forces in Kunduz province demanded US forces to bombard and kill 125 civilians as they doubted them as Taliban forces. In 2015, US forces targeted a hospital belongs to Doctors without Borders in Kunduz province where tens of patients were burnt and killed in the air strike. Similarly, there are so many other examples of civilians’ victims in other provinces where public gatherings and wedding ceremonies were targeted by the Nato forces and their puppet regime in Kabul.

For each case the Afghan government and its supporters in Nato assigned a delegation to inspect the issue, but nobody was prosecuted and nothing given to the victims and harmed people.

Since the US strategy for South Asia and Afghanistan was declared by Trump government, there is regular increase in the graph of the killing of civilians and violence in Afghanistan.

Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA) denounces the brutal military operation by Afghan government and US forces in Afghanistan and asks for civilian protection in any situation in any time. LRA believes the war agenda of US imperialism in Afghanistan, the escalation of military operations and killing of people blindly will not help to restore peace; it will certainly amplify the conflict and will impose irreparable losses to the civilians. As long as the brutality against the civilians is increased by war parties in Afghanistan, the anti occupation resistance will grow and enter in new phase of struggle.

Left Radical of Afghanistan (LRA)
Afghanistan- April 4, 2018