Forty US troops have been killed between the beginning of the operation Enduring Freedom and April 2002. Eight were listed as killed by enemy fire but most of the others died in accidents, including helicopter and plane crashes, not to mention friendly fire that killed also many Afghans, soldiers and civilians alike.
In February 2002, the British newspapers began to talk about civilian war casualties. The estimations available at that time range from 2,000 to 8,000 civilians killed by the US bombing. This figure is credible, if one takes into account four factors:
- The bombing accuracy from a height of 30,000 feet is not very good, as other conflicts have shown.
- The so-called "US Intelligence" is not very good either, and has led to many mistakes, killing probably more anti-Taliban fighters that true enemies.
- The Americans relies on information received from local leaders who take the opportunity to settle old scores with their own enemies.
- The American special forces on the ground do not take any risks. They order to kill people first, and then check if they are Taliban or al-Qaida fighters.
However, the Global Exchange, a US Human Rights Organisation, made an analysis of how many civilian Afghans have been killed in the bombing of that country, mainly by US planes and arrived at a completely different figure. They have counted 812 deaths, but this figure includes only the victims who lived in the main cities (11 sites visited), their field workers have not been able to survey the small villages that have also been hit. The use of air strikes instead of ground troops has reduced the number of US deaths to a minimum, but it has increased the number of Afghan victims.
A reasonable count estimates that 3,000 to 3,4000 Afghan civilians were killed by the US bombings between October 7, 2001 and March 2002. It is not known how many died later on as a result of the continuing hostilities. The number of Afghan soldiers who died in the war is also unknown.
The families of the civilian victims of the US bombing are asking compensation from the US. Their request -$10,000- is very modest; it shows that the cost of a life depends on the nationality of the dead. By comparison the families of the victims of the attack on New York City and Washington will receive in excess of one million dollars each!
In mid-2002, as many of forty, if not more, British medical military personnel at Bahran in Afghanistan were sick with an unknown type of virus. It could be gastro-enteritis, or something similar. Five or six were very ill, one has been sent to a military American Hospital in Germany, and the others were sent back to Britain. More that 300 soldiers have been quarantined until the nature and the causes of the illness are known.
On May 1, 2003, Defence Secretary Rumsfeld announced in Kabul that the US had "ended major combat activity" in Afghanistan, and a period of stability was coming. His faithful executor, Hamid Karzai, sat at his side with some prophetically sagging flowers between the pair.
One year and some $40 billion later -in September 2004- an assessment can be made. Is all this caused by mere "remnants" of a defeated Taliban?
Summary of Deaths Caused by Conflict in Afghanistan, June 2003 - May 2004
Afghan/Pakistani civilian deaths 340-361
Afghan/Pakistani military deaths 596-703
US and Allied military deaths 54-55
Taliban and allies killed 365-481
Totals 1,355 - 1,600
The one striking "success" of the United States has been its ability to get the Afghans of the Northern Alliance to do the fighting for them. And be killed, of course.
This year has been a difficult one for the Afghan soldiers serving the Karzai regime, much more deadly than being a Taliban or Al Qaida member. For every Euro-American soldier who died, 10 to 13 Afghan troops were killed.
The number of US soldiers dead in Afghanistan amounts to 180 (12 in 2002, 43 in 2002, 46 in 2003, 52 in 2004 and 27 until April 2005).
Quote this article on your site | Views: 824 | Print
Be first to comment this article
Only registered users can write comments. Please login or register.
