Taliban untrue in avoiding civilian casualties: experts

KABUL’s leadership directives regarding precautions to avoid civilian casualties but say such statements in the past had little impact.

Taliban leadership has recently asked all fighters to exercise utmost care to avoid civilian casualties during their operations.

The Taliban have been held responsible for most civilian deaths (76 percent) this year in a UN report.

The report said 17,252 civilians lost their lives and 29,536 others were injured during in the past six years as a result of clashes between insurgents and security forces.

Ali Amiri, a political analyst, said the Taliban by releasing such statements wanted to show they valued civilian lives.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News the surge in civilian causalities in recent attacks had worried Taliban about possible backlash from civilians and that was why they issued such statements.

Atiqullah Amarkhel, another political analyst, said the Taliban had released such statements in the past, but they had no impact.

He said roadside bombs and explosions carried out by insurgents continued to kill innocent people, including women and children.

Qazi Mohammad Hassan Haqyar, a political analyst, said he believed the Taliban had not changed their policy on civilian causalities during clashes.

He said the Taliban in the past had also stressed prevention of civilian casualties and today they were repeating the same mantra.

Haqyar said suicide attacks and bomb blasts by insurgents often resulted in most civilian causalities.

nh/ma

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