Afghan civilian casualties drop

Here’s the headline from Stars & Stripes;

Now, by looking at the headline, you’d think that all of Karzai’s prohibitions on coalition forces is having a positive effect, wouldn’t you? Well, actually, civilian casualties caused by allied forces has been falling for years. It’s casualties that the Taliban are causing that are finally dropping in number in this article;

A report released Tuesday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) leveled heavy criticism at insurgents and other “anti-government” forces, who were blamed for more than 80 percent of civilian deaths and a spike in targeted killings of individuals perceived to be supportive of the Afghan government. The Taliban immediately rejected the report’s findings.

Overall, civilian casualties were down 12 percent over 2011, with 2,754 deaths and about 4,800 injuries. Casualties among women and girls, however, rose by 20 percent, and UNAMA officials said civilians still bore far too much of the war’s violence.

Well, those casualties will probably end when US troops leave, like the Left told us violence would end in Iraq when we left. The UN said casualties caused by UN forces fell by 46% – so when a report that 10 civilians had been killed by an air strike last week, Karzai forbade airstrikes by Afghan forces. Because no one ever lies about the composition of casualties. Ever.

Though casualties were down year over year, the numbers actually were up in the last six months of 2012 over the same period a year earlier.

[U.N. Special Representative Ján Kubis] said he hoped insurgent groups would open a dialogue with UN representative to discuss ways to reduce civilian casualties.

“Talk to us; let’s work [together],” he said.

[Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid] said the Taliban welcomed a discussion with UN officials and encouraged those interested in talking to go through “relevant channels.”

Yeah, because the Taliban are always so willing to take suggestions from anyone.

Category: Terror War