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Caring for Their Own: a Stronger Afghan Response to Civilian Harm

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Part of the Countries in Conflict Series Caring for Their Own: A Stronger Afghan Response to Civilian Harm CARING FOR THEIR OWN: A STRONGER AFGHAN RESPONSE TO CIVILIAN HARM Acknowledgements Center for Civilians in Conflict would like to thank Open Society Foundations (OSF), which provided funding to support this research and offered insightful comments during the drafting of this report. We also appreciate the Afghan translators and interpreters that worked diligently to deliver quality research for this report, as well as those that offered us travel assistance. Finally, Center for Civilians in Conflict is deeply grateful to all those interviewed for this report, especially civilians suffering from the con- flict in Afghanistan, for their willingness to share their stories, experi- ences and views with us. Copyright © 2013 Center for Civilians in Conflict (formerly CIVIC) All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America. Copies of this report are available for download at: www.civiliansinconflict.org NOTE: Many names in this report have been changed to protect the identity of those interviewed. Cover photo courtesy of James Longley. All photos in text by Trevor Keck/Center for Civilians in Conflict. Map of Afghanistan C A m H 64 u 66 68 70 72 Mur 74 H ° D ° ° ° a-ye ° gho ° ar y b INA ya UZBEKISTAN r INA a AFGHANISTAN D Qurghonteppa TAJIKISTAN Kerki (Kurgan-Tyube) Mary Kiroya iz M rm Dusti Khorugh u e BADAKHSHAN r T g a Keleft Rostaq FayzFayzabad Abad b ir Qala-I-Panjeh Andkhvoy Jeyretan am JAWZJAN P Mazar-e-Sharif KUNDUZ TaluqanTaloqan Jorm TURKMENISTAN Shiberghan Kunduz h Eshkashem s Dowlatabad BALKH Kholm Khanabad TAKHAR u T K e d Baghlan Farkhar 36 z ° h Shulgarah e u 36 n Sari Pul Aybak Dowshi ° d y Maymana g BAGHLAN h SAMANGAN n Gilgit s u FARYAB Tokzar i G ISLAMIC Qeysar PANJSHER H AFGHANISTAN r Gushgy a SARI PUL Bazarak n u Jammu BADGHIS Mahmud-e- NURISTAN K Towraghondi Raqi ns Taybad oru KUNAR Mo Chaharikar N P and Qala-e-Naw rghab BAMYAN KAPISA A PARWAN M Asad Abad Mehtarlam Dowlat Bamyan H HiratHerat Chaghcharan Yar G Kashmir H Karokh A ar Owbeh Maydan Kabul ir L Jalalabad ud Shahr KABUL 34 WARDAK Mardan REPUBLIC REPUBLIC ° NANGARHAR 34 GHOR DAY LOGAR K ° HERATHIRAT h y Pul-e-Alam b Peshawar KUNDI Peywar Pass e Islamabad r d P an ass Nili lm Gardez He Ghazni Rawalpindi PAKTYA KHOST Shindand- GHAZNI Qarah Bagh Khost (Matun) Bannu Anar Darreh Khas Uruzgan Sharan PAKISTAN b a URUZGAN d n FARAH a ut gh ar Now Zad Ar H Farah Tirin Kot PAKTIKA OF OF h 32 ra ZABUL h a Kajaki ra ° F u 32 m k L Tank ° a Qalat a -e Delar rn d Ta w Ro h Lashkar Gah IRAN as National capital Kh Kandahar s Zhob u Provincial capital Kadesh d Zabol n I Town, village The boundaries and names shown and the designations HILMAND used on this map do not imply official endorsement or Zaranj Spin Buldak INDI ✈ Airports Chaman acceptance by the United Nations. NIMROZ Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control International boundary KANDAHAR in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. A The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been Provincial boundary A H Chehar ilmand Deh Shu agreed upon by the parties. 30 Main road ° Borjak Quetta 30 0 50 100 150 200 250 km Secondary road ° Zahedan Gowd-e Railroad Zereh 0 50 100 150 mi 62° 64° 66° 68° 70° 72° 74° Map No. 3958 Rev. 7 UNITED NATIONS Department of Field Support June 2011 Cartographic Section www.civiliansinconflict.org iii iv www.civiliansinconflict.org Table of Contents Glossary vii Executive Summary 1 Introduction 5 Addressing Civilian Harm: What’s Been Done so Far 7 International Forces The Taliban and Armed Groups The Transition to Afghan Security Making the Case for a Stronger Afghan Response to Civilian Harm 11 Ethical Reasons Strategic Reasons Domestic Law and Cultural Reasons Afghan Processes for Investigating Civilian Harm 15 Afghan National Army (ANA) Afghan National Police (ANP) National Directorate of Security (NDS) Presidential Delegations Investigations in Practice Political Will in Short Supply Afghan Government Mechanisms for Addressing Civilian Harm 21 Government Assistance Mechanisms The President’s Code 99 Fund MoLSAMD Fund for Martyrs and Disabled Programmatic Flaws Civilians Harmed by ANSF Bureaucratic Burden Weak Coordination Payment Delays Inadequate Assistance Accessibility Obstacles Corruption and Extortion Equal Access Property Damage and Less Severe Injuries Recommendations 39 Annex 43 Civilian Perspectives Application Forms for Code 99 and MoLSAMD Payments vi www.civiliansinconflict.org Glossary Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) Afghanis (AFN) Afghan Local Police (ALP) Afghan National Army (ANA) Afghan National Police (ANP) Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Attorney General (AG) Civilian Casualties (CIVCAS) Civilian Casualty Mitigation Team (CCMT) Civilian Casualty Tracking Cell (CCTC) Criminal Investigations Team (CID) General Staff Legal Department (GS Legal) Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International Humanitarian Law (IHL) International Human Rights Law (IHRL) International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Members of Parliament (MPs) Ministry of Defense (MoD) Ministry of Interior (MoI) Ministry of Finance (MoF) Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs, and Disabled (MoLSAMD) National Directorate of Security (NDS) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Open Society Foundations (OSF) President’s Information Coordination Center (PICC) President’s Office of Administrative Affairs (OAA) Pro-Government Forces (PGF) United Nations (UN) United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) United States (US) United States Dollars (USD) www.civiliansinconflict.org vii Executive Summary As responsibility for security in Afghanistan transitions from international to Afghan forces, civilian casual- ties remain alarmingly high. In recent years, international forces have taken positive steps to minimize civilian suffering, including offering ex gratia (“out of kindness”) or condolence payments to civilians they harm during combat operations. The Afghan government has also developed programs to provide such payments to civilians suffering from the war. While laudable, this Afghan assistance is plagued by challeng- es that counteract efforts to ease civilian suffering. More broadly, the capacity of the Afghan government and security forces to prevent and respond appropriately to civilian casualties is woefully underdeveloped. As Afghan forces prepare to take over security operations from international forces, urgent steps must be taken to bolster Afghan systems for responding appropriately to civilian harm. This report documents and analyzes Afghan policies and practices for addressing civilian harm, focusing on existing mechanisms for investigating civilian casualty incidents and systems for offering condolence monetary payments. It evaluates how and whether these policies and programs work for those they intend to serve—the thousands of Afghan civilians harmed every year as a result of the current conflict. We show that urgent reforms are needed in the Afghan government’s response to civilian harm caused by any war- ring party, but especially that which is caused by its own security forces. Gaps in the Afghan government’s response are identified, and reforms are proposed. The impetus for this report is the security transition in Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have already begun to take the lead in combat operations, and are expected to be fully respon- sible for securing their country by the end of 2013.1 While international forces still cause civilian casualties, several reports have examined their policies for responding to the civilian harm they cause; engagement with international forces on this continues.2 Less attention has focused on the Afghan government and security forces; such research and analysis is needed as the ANSF increasingly do more of the fighting. 1 In this report, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) encompasses: the Afghan National Army (ANA), the Afghan National Police (ANP), the National Directorate of Security (NDS), and state-backed local defense forces, such as the Afghan Local Police (ALP). 2 Center for Civilians in Conflict has published two reports that focus on international forces operating in Afghanistan. See “Losing the People: The- Costs and Consequences of Civilian Suffering in Afghanistan,” Center for Civilians in Conflict, 2009; and “Addressing Civilian Harm in Afghanistan: Policies and Practices of International Forces,” Center for Civilians in Conflict, April 2010. www.civiliansinconflict.org 1 Ordinary Afghans have suffered immensely from the conflict that began in October 2001 with 2011 the deadliest year for civilians on record.3 The Taliban and other armed groups—which have taken few mean- ingful steps to protect civilians—are responsible for the overwhelming majority of these casualties. Interna- tional forces still account for numerous instances of civilian harm, but have significantly reduced the num- ber of civilian casualties they cause in recent years. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that the ANSF have thus far caused fewer civilian casualties than other warring parties. However, there are indications this is changing. Further, unless civilian protection
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