Afghanistan: Höchste Zahl von Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung seit Jahren

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Im ersten Halbjahr 2015 sind in Afghanistan so viele Zivilisten wie noch nie seit Beginn der regelmäßigen Überprüfungen durch die Vereinten Nationen bei gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Regierungsgegnern und afghanischen Sicherheitskräften ums Leben gekommen oder verwundet worden. Die UN-Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) legte am (heutigen) Mittwoch in Kabul ihren regelmäßigen Halbjahresbericht vor: Danach wurden in den ersten sechs Monaten dieses Jahres 1,592 unbeteiligte Menschen getötet und 3,329 verwundet. Die Opferzahlen gehen laut UNAMA zu 70 Prozent auf das Konto der Taliban und anderer regierungsfeindlicher Gruppierungen; die – weitgehend abgezogenen – internationalen Truppen waren danach für gerade noch ein Prozent der Opfer verantwortlich. Zudem haben Mordanschläge, Kämpfe und Schusswechsel die Sprengfallen als Hauptursache von Tod und Verwundung abgelöst.

Aus dem Bericht:

In the first six months of 2015, civilians increasingly suffered the consequences of the armed conflict in Afghanistan. Between 1 January and 30 June 2015, UNAMA documented 4,921 civilian casualties (1,592 civilians deaths and 3,329 injured, marking a six per cent decrease in civilian deaths and four per cent increase in civilians injured. These figures amount to an overall one per cent increase in civilian casualties compared to the first six months of 2014, and the highest number of total civilian casualties compared to the same period in previous years. Between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2015, UNAMA recorded 52,653 civilian casualties (19,368 deaths and 33,285 injured. (…)

The rise in overall civilian casualties in the first six months of 2015 mainly stemmed from an increase in complex and suicide attacks and a rise in targeted and deliberate killings by Anti-Government Elements. Complex and suicide attacks – often in civilian-populated areas – nearly overtook IEDs as the second leading cause of civilian casualties. Despite being the fourth leading cause of total civilian casualties – deaths and injuries combined – targeted killings became the leading cause of civilian deaths in the first six months of 2015.
UNAMA attributed 70 per cent of all civilian casualties to Anti-Government Elements and 16per cent to Pro-Government Forces (15 per cent to Afghan national security forces and pro-Government armed groups and one per cent to international military forces). Ten per cent of all civilian casualties resulted from ground engagements between Anti-Government Elements and Afghan national security forces in which the civilian casualties could not be attributed to a specific party. UNAMA attributed four per cent of civilian casualties to unattributed explosive remnants of war.

Den Bericht selbst gibt es hier, die Pressemitteilung dazu hier. Das Afghanistan Analysts Network hat bereits eine erste Analyse der Zahlen vorgelegt.

Es gehört – mittelbar – zu diesem Thema: Das Wall Street Journal hat eine afghanische Militärpilotin porträtiert, deren Karriere an Drohungen der Taliban (und Widerstand aus der eigenen Familie) zerschellte.

Nachtrag: Der Guardian kommt zu dem Schluss, dass der Rückzug der internationalen Truppen und damit der Verlust von Luftunterstützung für die afghanischen Sicherheitskräfte die Gefahr für Zivilisten erhöht habe:

The numbers reveal the war’s changing dynamics. After the end of Nato’s combat mission, Afghan government forces are fighting with less airpower and material support.
As a result, the conflict has moved closer to residential areas, where the warring parties are fighting with indiscriminate weapons such as mortars, rockets and grenades. In fact, government forces are responsible for most casualties, 59%, caused by this type of weapons.
Mortars were, for instance, used on 5 June when Afghan national army soldiers accidentally hit a wedding party on the outskirts of Ghazni, killing eight children. The UN describes how the security forces subsequently gave contradictory explanations, in a sign of a troubling lack of transparency from the government’s side.

Nachtrag 2: Interessante Aussagen vom Kommandeur der Resolute Support Mission, US-General John Campbell:

Despite reports of successful attacks by Taliban insurgents in recent months, Campbell gave an upbeat assessment of the Afghan security forces and their ability to repel those attacks.
He cited familiar weaknesses for the Afghan forces: limited aviation capabilities, poor intelligence gathering and analysis skills, an unreliable logistics supply chain and ineffective management of rank-and-file troops.
But as the U.S. aims to wrap up its military mission in Afghanistan, Campbell said U.S. military trainers may have to accept that those weaknesses will not be entirely eliminated.

(Foto: Resolute Support Mission unter CC-BY-Lizenz)