Killing of civilians should stop

The increase in the number of killed or injured Afghan civilians following military operations carried out by US-led coalition forces is a dangerous escalation that needs to be addressed. The nature and end-goal of carrying out such strikes come into question as civilian deaths have been far too frequent.

The most recent operation took place in the western part of Afghanistan and led to the killing of more than 75 civilians, according to the government. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission said that most of those killed were women and children. But the repercussions of having so many incidents in which civilians become the victims of these raids are grave as the role of international forces in keeping the peace in the country comes under scrutiny and questioning.

It is without question, therefore, that at this point and after the increase in the number of civilian casualties, a critical examination of how military operations are carried out in Afghanistan is revisited and evaluated. Undoubtedly, such a perspective is understandable given that the end-goal of having international forces there in the first place is to bring about stability and maintain an environment that is protective of civilian lives.