U.S. Kunduz
Hospital Strike May Swell Taliban Ranks (Afghanistan Times, Afghanistan)
"This
attack, which violated International Humanitarian Law, should be investigated, and
those who authorized the airstrikes brought to justice. … If these officials are
permitted to act with impunity, then there is a very good chance that ostensibly
peaceful people who support the government will turn to violence and back the
insurgents. Government leaders must put an end to the legacy of public suspicion
of the government. No one should be above the law or be allowed to attack
civilians."
Afghanistan is teetering on the brink of large scale
violence with policymakers apparently unmoved by the growing influence of the Taliban
and the emergency surrounding the expansion of the dreaded Daesh
in the region. Perhaps that is what enabled the Taliban to so quickly capture
Kunduz Province. If the government had taken steps earlier to improve the
security situation, when Taliban insurgents flanked by foreign fighters seized
control of districts in Kunduz, the government wouldn't be embarrassed today.
Taliban and other terrorist groups like Lashker-e-Toiba and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are aggressively
challenging writ of the Afghan government. The failure of the government to
reverse such a large-scale Taliban attack disturbs the general public and the intelligentsia.
The inattention of the relevant authorities has an impact on all segments of society.
It is feared that unless the status quo within the halls of power is challenged,
the war will drag on despite international support.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
At this critical juncture, the U.S. airstrikes on a hospital
in Kunduz is not only extremely unfortunate – it is humiliating. Because the
government and its allies went unseen during the crisis, the hospital in which Doctors
without Borders staff were busy providing emergency care to the injured was the
only hope of local people. The airstrikes are an explicit contravention of human
rights. Since arrival of the NATO forces in 2001, attacks on civilian homes,
schools and hospitals have traumatized the nation. Such attacks also speak
volumes about the "precision" of U.S. forces in targeting militants.
The reason for the "error" cited by Interior Ministry
spokesman SiddiqSiddiqi is
that 10 to 15 Taliban fighters were hiding in the hospital. Yet even if militants
were hiding there, why were U.S. forces prepared to act so precipitously, killing
19 people and injuring so many others – particularly civilians who were being
treated. Neither the Interior Ministry nor the U.S. government can justify
killing innocent people and health workers. Furthermore, such an explanation on
the part of the Ministry does nothing to divert public attention from its
failure to respond quickly. This attack, which violated International
Humanitarian Law, should be investigated, and those who authorized the
airstrikes brought to justice.
The best laid plans of Secretary of State John Kerry often come to naught, as appears to be the case with Afghanistan's ...
If these officials are permitted to act with impunity, then
there is a very good chance that ostensibly peaceful people who support the
government will turn to violence and back the insurgents. Government leaders must
put an end to the legacy of public suspicion of the government. No one should
be above the law or be allowed to attack civilians.
