Accountability - Afghan Style

Afghan civilian deaths up 15% this year, UN report says

"The United Nations, in a report that paints a picture of deteriorating safety, says it has documented 1,462 Afghan civilian deaths from January to June — most of them caused by insurgents."

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"The U.N. said it had documented 1,462 civilian deaths from January to June, four-fifths of them caused by insurgents." (Emphasis mine)

Afghan leader orders probe into NATO 'civilian deaths'

"Civilian casualties are an inflammatory issue between US-led foreign forces and Karzai who issued a "last warning" to the military in early June to avoid "arbitrary and unnecessary" operations that kill civilians."

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""The coalition forces were given the wrong information and based on wrong information, they carried out an operation," he said.

The provincial council said it had gone on strike in protest.

A statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it had reports of only one female civilian wounded during a battle with insurgents and that she had since been given medical treatment.

ISAF said six Haqqani fighters had been killed, including one armed woman."

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"ISAF said six Haqqani fighters had been killed, including one armed woman.

"The security force was attacked by several armed insurgents while attempting to clear a compound near a coalition base in the district," it said.

The military said the fighters were killed in three subsequent firefights, all of which were triggered by insurgent gunfire.

On Thursday, the United Nations said the number of civilians killed in the Afghan war in the first half of 2011 was up 15 percent, putting the year on track to be the deadliest in a decade.

The UN mission in Afghanistan said insurgents accounted for 80 percent of civilian deaths in the past six months and NATO troops 14 percent of killings."

It's pretty obvious who's in charge in Afghanistan and it isn't Karzai. He's forever trying to appear tough against the ISAF but turns a blind eye to the slaughter committed by Afghans themselves.