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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (39056)	3/8/2004 3:20:36 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

US gets slammed for Afghan operations By Seth Stern A human rights group is giving the US failing marks for its aggressive tactics in Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch, the largest US-based human rights group, released a report Sunday saying US forces hunting Taliban and Al Qaeda sympathizers in Afghanistan have beaten and psychologically abused detainees, and used excessive force during raids that led to civilian deaths. The Financial Times says the 59-page report suggests Afghan civilians resent aggressive military activity, especially in the south and east of the country, where the US-led coalition's hunt for suspected terrorists is most intense. The Guardian excerpts complaints collected by a UN official of "cowboy-like" tactics against people "who generally turn out to be law-abiding citizens". They include blowing doors open with grenades rather than knocking. In one instance cited by the report, helicopters attacked the home of Ahmed Khan and his family in the Zurmat district in Paktia province, an area firmly under the control of Afghan forces at the time. "We were lying in bed," Mr Khan told HRW. "Suddenly, there was a lot of noise. Some helicopters came, we could hear them circling and firing machine guns ... they rocketed a hole through the wall." The Americans forced their way in and rounded up the family. Meanwhile, the New York Times emphasized charges that the US has detained at least 1,000 Afghans and other people in a "climate of almost total impunity." Former detainees at US military bases in Afghanistan say they were beaten, doused in cold water, made to stand or crouch for long periods in uncomfortable positions and deprived of sleep for days or weeks, the HRW report charges. "The United States is setting a terrible example in Afghanistan on detention practices," said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch. "Civilians are being held in a legal black hole - with no tribunals, no legal counsel, no family visits and no basic legal protections." But Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the American-led coalition in Afghanistan, told the New York Times that "American forces were acting properly." He said the procedures used in the main American detention facility at Bagram Air Base just north of Kabul had been changed. "We are in complete compliance with the laws of combat," he said. The Associated Press suggests the report "raises uncomfortable questions for the US as it embarks on new operations to crush elusive militants such as Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden." The BBC went further Monday - calling the report "damning" and suggesting it could cause Afghan president Hamid Karzai "some discomfort." Although Karzai's govermment has expressed concern about some US tactics - particularly over incidents where innocent civilians have been killed - his government has been reluctant to criticise the American military publicly. His government wants US troops to stay, a position supported by many Afghans, the BBC says. But HRW says President Karzai should put more pressure on the US government to uphold humanitarian and human rights laws in Afghanistan. csmonitor.com lurqer