Connect with us

Latest News

Report blames Trump’s Administration for 330% increase in civilian casualties

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Outgoing President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to loosen military rules of engagement in Afghanistan that were meant to protect civilians was followed by a sharp increase in civilian deaths, a report released on Monday revealed.

The report by Brown University Watson Institute’s Costs of War Project, one of the premier authorities on civilian casualties in the 19-year-long war, found a 330 percent increase in the number of Afghan civilians killed by US-led airstrikes from 2016, the final year of the Barack Obama administration, to 2019.

Author of the report, Neta C. Crawford, said: “Some of this harm could be avoided by tighter rules of engagement, as well as better training. A negotiated ceasefire might also yield results at the bargaining table and at the same time avoid escalating harm to Afghan civilians from airstrikes.”

From 2007 to 2016, US-led and Afghan government forces killed an average of 582 civilians each year, the report found.

From 2017 to 2019, during Trump’s tenure, those same forces killed an average of 1,134 civilians each year, a nearly 95 percent increase.

The sharp increase in civilian deaths followed a decision by Trump, in consultation with former Defense Secretary James Mattis and other military and civilian officials, to relax rules of engagement in the Afghan war in order to give US commanders more battlefield flexibility and to gain leverage at the bargaining table with the Taliban.

“From 2017 through 2019, civilian deaths due to US and allied forces’ airstrikes in Afghanistan dramatically increased,” the report states.

“In 2019 airstrikes killed 700 civilians – more civilians than in any other year since the beginning of the war in 2001 and 2002. After the US and Taliban reached a peace agreement in late February 2020, US and other international air strikes declined, and so did the harm to civilians caused by those strikes.”

According to the United Nations, US-led and Afghan government airstrikes killed more civilians than did Taliban militant attacks during the first half of 2019.

The new report found that as US-led bombings declined following the agreement reached with the Taliban in February 2020, Afghan government airstrikes have increased.

“As a consequence, the Afghan Air Force (AAF) is harming more Afghan civilians than at any time in its history,” the report states.

“In the first six months of this year, the AAF killed 86 Afghan civilians and injured 103 civilians in airstrikes. That rate of harm nearly doubled in the next three months. Between July and the end of September, the Afghan Air Force killed 70 civilians and 90 civilians were injured.”

“As with the international airstrikes, some of this harm could be avoided by tighter rules of engagement, as well as better training,” the report states.
The report also highlights the fact that a reduction or even total withdrawal of US ground troops does not mean an end to war or civilian casualties, as most American combat is one-sided and takes place in the air.

The report also states that there were more weapons dropped from the air in 2018 and 2019 than at the height of US presence in Afghanistan in 2011.

According to the Costs of War Project report, more than 43,000 Afghan civilians have been killed during the 19-year US-led war.

While Taliban insurgents have killed the most civilians, thousands of men, women, and children have also been killed by US, allied, and Afghan government bombs and bullets, the report states.

Latest News

Civil war devastated Afghans more than the Soviet invasion, says Fitrat

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

The civil war inflicted greater harm on the people of Afghanistan than the Soviet invasion, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of the Army Staff of the Islamic Emirate, said on Monday

“The Soviet Red Army invasion did not make the Afghan people as miserable as the civil wars and power struggles made,” he said at a ceremony marking the 33rd anniversary of the mujahideen’s victory against the former Soviet-backed regime.

Fitrat warned that if someone is thinking of occupying Afghanistan using those who have fled the country, the Afghan people are ready to fight against them even if takes thousands of years.

“No matter how they impose war on the people of Afghanistan, the people have the courage and heroism,” he said. “Their honor will never allow them to be controlled by someone else. They will fight against them. They have fought for four and a half decades and are ready to fight for thousands more. If anyone thinks of occupying our country, they will fight against them.”

Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Alhaji Mullah Noorullah Noori also stressed that Afghanistan will soon will compete with other countries in political, economic and security sectors.

“The day will come when Afghanistan will compete with the world’s major countries in every field, politically, economically, security,” he said.

Acting Minister of Information and Culture Khairullah Khairkhwa called on the officials of the Islamic Emirate to refrain from “power worship,” warning that it would lead to the collapse of the government.

“If, God forbid, we revive the past and there is power worship here again and we try to increase our influence, the regime will collapse and the people will become divided,” he said.

At the ceremony, the Chief of Staff of Army also stressed the dignified return of refugees from neighboring countries, adding that humiliating them is unacceptable for the Islamic Emirate.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Qatar’s Prime Minister meets with Afghanistan’s foreign minister

According to Gulf Times, the two officials reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to support the Afghan people.

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met with Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi who is currently visiting the country.

According to Gulf Times, the two officials reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to support the Afghan people.

Al-Thani emphasized the State of Qatar’s unwavering support for all segments of the Afghan people and its continued efforts to achieve security, stability, prosperity, and a dignified life in Afghanistan.

A source told Ariana News that Muttaqi arrived in Qatar on Sunday. No further details on his trip were given.

Continue Reading

Latest News

WFP air services in Afghanistan may be suspended due to funding crisis

According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan has announced the possible suspension of its air services in the country due to a severe shortage of funding.

WFP is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan and the air services have played a vital role in transporting humanitarian aid, especially to areas difficult to reach by land.

In a message posted on X, the WFP explained that in the past, when roads were blocked, air services were the only way to deliver aid to remote areas of Afghanistan. This aid included food, medicine, and other essential items that are essential for the survival of millions of people in need in Afghanistan.

According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.

In addition, the WFP stated that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan continue to increase and  millions of people across the country are dependent on humanitarian assistance.

WFP stated that if air services are stopped, it will become very difficult, if not impossible, to deliver vital aid to areas that are not accessible by road.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Ariana News. All rights reserved!