A Taliban roadside bomb in Helmand killed seven members of a family, including five children on Thursday in Musalmani village of Musa Qala district. Taliban claimed responsibility for an incident in Musalmani area saying an explosion blew up an ISAF military vehicle. Local residents reported the tribal elder and his family members were neutral civilians with no government affiliation. Locals, due to fear of Taliban retribution, indirectly said militants were responsible for the massacre and condemned it, demanding them to stop killing civilians.
If it was a report of ISAF airstrike, an immediate ready-made condemnation statement would come from President Karzai, but in case of Afghan civilians slaughtered by Taliban on almost daily basis, he rarely speaks. ISAF strongly condemned the tragic death of civilians. Their statement quoted Taliban pledge to safeguard civilians during the Al-Farouq spring offensive.
The latest civilian victims of Taliban atrocities increase the causalities to 449 killed so far. Their spokesman calls to journalists and proudly claims responsibility for suicide attacks, bombings, IEDs and other attacks primarily aimed at ISAF troops. Many civilians become victim of these attacks.
Most victims of the suicide attacks targeting Afghan or ISAF troops are civilians. They also use civilians as shelter when hiding and starting a gun battle in midst of densely civilian populated villages. It is intentional, and part of the strategy to cause more civilian casualties in such firefights so that locals rally against Afghan and ISAF forces, as they are viewed with greater responsibility, and held by masses.
Last year's statistics show Taliban IED and suicide attacks killed three times more civilians than the victims of the US, NATO and Afghan National Security Forces operations.
Civilians have been victims of ISAF and ANSF operations too. But the difference is our selective outrage in general. For instance, President Karzai always visits areas when an ISAF airstrike kills civilians, but he has never visited a place where Taliban roadside bomb or a suicide attack has killed dozens of people.
It is hypocrisy prevalent in our society at large from top to bottom, from our political and religious leadership to ordinary people. Taliban kill civilians every day. They plant IEDs, blow up public places, even mosques, but we have not seen protest demonstrations by the opportunist elements who are working on payroll of some foreign intelligence agencies and take out rallies after each incident of a civilian massacre by ISAF and ANSF.
It reflects the deeper problems of conflict in Afghanistan that our own people need to stand up against. Media should highlight the civilian casualties by Taliban as they did the Quran burning riots. Or President Karzai should invite victims as he called elders of Panjwai after the recent tragic massacre by a US soldier.
If our political and religious leadership put off the dress of hypocrisy, and ordinary people raise voice against Taliban atrocities, it would be the first major step towards the end of violence in Afghanistan that has killed millions in last two decades. Our collective hypocrisy is more harmful.