Violence has been a dominant phenomenon browbeating every fabric of Afghan society. The fight between insurgents and government backed international allies seems unending. The proverb “Grass suffers in the battle of bulls” accurately justifies the worsened state of civilians left on the brunt of attack ongoing between government, terrorists and insurgents. The state of affairs furthers until a congenial solution is sought out. Political solution and ground battles are the two courses that end up the bloody battle.
When the armed forces are carrying out clean up operation or insurgents are retaliating, the innocent civilians are left to pay the price. In the ongoing tit-for-tat between armed forces and insurgents, unarmed civilians are left to render endless and futile sacrifices that never lead to fruition and bring them aversion of ill-fates. With exception to fallacy of government displaying ineligibility reversing the attack, Taliban are equally responsible for civilian causalities. Taliban seeking refuge in nearest village endangers the lives of unarmed civilians who cannot restrict them doing this, is unjustifiable disposition worthy of loud condemnation. Significantly, the pursuit of tit-for-tat that made Taliban launch attacks on innocent local or foreign nationals is equally condemnable act.
Formerly, a report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stating last year the deadliest year for civilians since the United Nations began keeping records in 2009. Civilian casualties, including both deaths and injuries, were up 22 percent from the previous record set in 2013, and they surpassed 10,000 for the first time since the United Nations’ record-keeping began.
In the wake of raging Taliban insurgency the number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan jumped 22 percent in 2014, the report says. The total number of civilian casualties since 2009 now stands at 17,774 killed and 29,971 injured. UNAMA had previously noted a leap in civilian casualties linked to the intensification in ground fighting between government and insurgent forces, in its last report published in July 2014. The report said the increasing use of explosive weapons systems such as mortars, rockets and grenades in civilian-populated areas had resulted in “devastating consequences”. The number of civilian deaths rose 25 percent to 3,699 while the number of injured was up 21 percent to 6,849. The total casualty figure is the highest recorded in a single year since the UN began compiling its reports in 2009.
The query who should be blamed for soaring causalities; government or terrorist organizations is clued in the report, holding anti-government elements for 72 percent of causalities and government forces for 14 percent; the rest of percent of all casualties could not be clearly attributed to either side. It is said, “The motivating factor behind escalating death toll is ground operation which accounts for 34 percent civilian casualties in the former year”. Of the 3,605 Afghans killed or wounded during ground operations last year, it was unclear in nearly 30 percent of the cases which side was responsible. However, based on general assessment the insurgents were deemed to be responsible for the largest share of ground-related 43 percent casualties and the government and its allies were responsible for 26 percent; a massive increase from previous years.
Another area of core concern is the rising number of women and children affected by unremitting futile battle and the grave impact inflicted on socio-economical condition of the people. The report also documented a 40 percent increase in casualties among children (714 killed, 1,760 injured) compared with the previous year and a 21 percent rise in casualties among women (298 killed, 611 injured).
It’s therefore urged in the report “the Parties to the conflict should understand the impact of their actions and take responsibility for them, uphold the values they claim to defend, and make protecting civilians their first priority.”
The report also entails the casualties caused by cross border shelling. Previously, when Pakistan and Afghanistan were passing through battered relation, many incidents of shells being fired Pakistan into Afghanistan was reported that led to casualties. The report hold such incidents, 41 in all, accounted for 1 percent of civilian casualties last year, with 71 people injured and 11 killed.
Subsequent to successive drawdown of international forces, they are less proportionally held responsible for increasing casualties. Accordingly to the report registered 43 percent declined in civilian casualties by the international military forces.
Seeing the war-torn mother land Afghanistan, passing several phases of formation and reformation entailing tales of bloody civil war and war of succession, militias turned out to be an integral part of every tribal elder. This practice till date couldn’t effectively be undermined and disbanded. Militias that fight on behalf of the government, meanwhile, were deemed responsible for 102 casualties, an 85 percent increase from 2013.
The premier had vowed to ban private militias who are found involved violating civil liberties and abuses. The United Nations reported a significant increase in human rights abuses perpetrated by these groups, especially in the country’s north, northeast and southeast, where they often operate in areas with little government presence and hold the government accountable for not restraining the armed militias.
Undeniably, the unending war carries multiplied miseries with the only bread earner snatched away leaving the family hapless and ruined financially and segregated socially. The number of women and children injured or killed also hit new highs. The UNAMA head Nicholas Haysom stated “Rising civilian deaths and injuries in 2014 attests to a failure to fulfill commitments to protect Afghan civilians from harm”.