Peace assembly a critical moment for Afghanistan: NATO

Peace assembly a "critical moment" for Afghanistan: NATO

Investigation into civilian Afghan deaths blames human error
Kabul (AFP) May 29, 2010 - Human error was blamed Saturday for a missile and rocket attack by US forces on vehicles in war-torn Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 23 civilians, a military statement said. The incident on February 21 sparked widespread anger at the presence of international troops in Afghanistan, and an apology from the commander of NATO forces in the country, US General Stanley McChrystal. McChrystal has made it a tenet of his counter-insurgency strategy in fighting a Taliban insurgency that civilian casualties be kept to a minimum. The report found that a convoy of "three vehicles carrying more than 30 civilians were mistaken for an insurgent convoy and engaged by coalition aircraft".

The mistake was made in analysing images taken by unmanned drones, it said. Information that the vehicles were carrying anything other than civilians -- rather than militants racing to reinforce Taliban engaged in battle nearby -- was "ignored or downplayed", it said. "The ground force commander lacked a clear understanding of who was in the vehicles, the location, direction of travel and likely course of action of those vehicles. "Poorly functioning higher headquarters command posts failed to provide the ground force commander with the evidence and analysis that the vehicles were not a hostile threat," it said. Citing "several shortcomings in training, communication and decision-making," the ISAF statement said McChrystal had reprimanded four senior and two junior officers. The incident, in an area of central Daykundi province that was carved out of Uruzgan province, killed four women and a child, and was the third such mistaken bombing raid in Afghanistan in a week.

McChrystal's apology to President Hamid Karzai in person, and to the Afghan people in a televised broadcast, was swift but failed to quell deep concern over civilian deaths and injuries in the ongoing war against the Taliban. Civilian casualties are an incendiary issue in Afghanistan, and are often used by Karzai and the Taliban alike for political ends, even though most are caused by the insurgents. The United Nations said in a report that the number of civilians killed in the Afghan war jumped last year to 2,412, making 2009 the deadliest year for ordinary Afghans since the US-led invasion. By comparison, 2,118 civilians were killed in 2008. The UN report said 67 percent of last year's civilian deaths, or 1,630, were in insurgent attacks, while pro-government forces including NATO and US troops were responsible for 25 percent, or 596 civilian deaths last year.

by Staff Writers
Kabul (AFP) May 30, 2010
A huge "peace jirga" set to take place in Kabul this week marks a critical moment in bringing an end to decades of conflict that have blighted Afghanistan, NATO leaders said Sunday.

The National Consultative Peace Jirga, or assembly, aims to bring together leaders from across Afghanistan, representing the country's complicated mix of ethnic, tribal, geographic and gender interests.

It is due to take place over three days from Wednesday in a tent on the outskirts of Kabul, providing a forum for discussing what steps President Hamid Karzai should take towards brokering a peace deal with the Taliban.

"The peace jirga is a critical element, it is a critical moment for this country," Mark Sedwill, NATO's civilian representative in Afghanistan said.

The jirga presented an opportunity "to create a national consensus behind the overall approach to security, to governance, to development, to reconciliation, to a political settlement, that everybody here wants to achieve," he said.

Up to 1,600 community and political representatives from across the country have begun arriving in the capital to register for the jirga and take part in an orientation programme ahead of its opening.

Topping the agenda will be making peace with the Taliban, who have been fighting an insurgency since their five-year regime was toppled by a US-led invasion in late 2001.

Karzai promised in his inauguration speech last November, as he began his second five-year term as president, that the jirga would be a cornerstone of his efforts to bring an end to the war, now in its ninth year.

He has said he will not negotiate with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have said they will not hold peace talks until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Yet he supports a reconciliation process, being bankrolled by the international community, that aims to find jobs for men who fight for the Taliban because they need the money, rather than for ideological reasons.

Organisers say Taliban leaders have not been invited to the jirga, but will not be turned away if they do show up.

The jirga comes as military planners are preparing to escalate an offensive against the Taliban in southern Kandahar province, where the Islamists had their informal capital during their 1996-2001 rule.

"Our strategic main effort is helping the Afghan security forces to grow and our operational priority is to stabilize the security situation in the south," said US General Stanley McChrystal.

He emphasised the importance of encouraging Taliban gunmen to return to their communities, saying that military might must be backed by political progress.

Karzai's Western backers, including the United States and Britain, have thrown their support behind the jirga, regarding it as an important marker of Karzai's commitment to cleaning up government and creating a transparent society.

"This is a big week for Afghanistan, it's an opportunity that has the full support of the international community, and the full support of ISAF and NATO," Sedwill told reporters.

NATO and the US have 130,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the insurgents, with another 20,000 due in coming months as efforts to eradicate them from their strongholds in southern provinces are accelerated.

The jirga has been delayed twice from its initial schedule.

Security in the capital was palpably tightening Sunday as delegates began arriving.

As well as Afghan community leaders, the gathering is expected to attract another 200 invited guests such as diplomats and representatives of international organisations who will act as observers.

Organisers have said the delegates will be divided into 13 categories, including lawmakers, clerics, governors, district officials, civil society, refugees, women and the private sector.

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