Monday 19 September 2011

NATO Night Raids Carnage Increasing

The New York-based Open Society Foundations said in its latest report published on Monday that US-led troops carried out an average 19 raids a night between December 2010 and February 2011, AP reported.
Afghan officials, including President Hamid Karzai, have publicly criticized nighttime operations, saying the raids violate Afghan citizens' privacy and increase public anger about foreign troops.
The researchers of the New York-based Open Society Foundations also interviewed a NATO official in April when the officer said as many as 40 raids might take place on any given night in Afghanistan.
The report also described the night-time attacks as a "losing tactic" that raised discontentment and mistrust both among ordinary Afghans and within the government.
The findings are potentially troubling for the NATO troops who regularly are accused of mistreating women or defiling copies of holy Qur'an. The civilian casualties of the nighttime raids also damage the reputation of US-led troops.
“The escalation in raids has taken the battlefield more directly into Afghan homes, sparking tremendous backlash among the Afghan population,'' the report said.
“Complaints over night raids have marred Afghan relations with international partners, particularly the United States, and have complicated long-term strategic partnership discussions.”
Civilian casualties caused by NATO attacks have been a major source of tension between the Karzai government and the US-led alliance.

1 comment:

  1. Unfortunately transparency and accountability is the antithesis of night raids. Ironic that the U.S. would benefit from dropping its major weapon against the Taliban. These night raids frighten and provoke the population more than protect it.

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