(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Local officials and sources in southern Helmand province say all the victims were members of the same family.
To further discuss the issue, we have conducted an interview with Syed Ali Wasif, President of the Society for International Reforms & Research in Washington.
Q: As a drawdown of US forces looms, we are seeing an escalation in the number of NATO attacks in Afghanistan which are resulting in a large number of civilian casualties. What kind of a legacy does the US leave behind at the end of a mission that is clearly failing to win the hearts and minds of Afghan?
Dr. Wasif: Well, if it is done intentionally, that is to kill civilians deliberately, then it is an act of war crimes totally and the US government and the generals in the military and those responsible on the ground in Afghanistan could stand trial before an international tribunal court on the principles of humanitarian laws, that is the law of war.
I think the policy of the US military as I have seen it is not to kill civilians. They try their best to evade killing civilians but at times they do that. The main reason is either they are in hard pursuit of those Taliban fighters who seek shelter in populated areas, or that is that they use their population as human shields and the American operatives want to strike them and they do strike them regardless of who is on the ground and who is in the vicinity.
That is of course against the Geneva Conventions and the Laws of War and tantamount to war crimes. But the problem is also with the operatives or the human intelligence on the ground. So the Americans do have human intelligence on the ground.
They should first confirm the target and then let the operatives fire upon those targets. In that case, they could evade human disaster.
In this case, what we are seeing on and off seems to be deliberate attempts on the part of the operatives who strike on civilians. So this is totally unacceptable.
Q: Dr. Wasif, you mentioned that these civilian casualties take place when the US is trying to gun down Taliban operatives that hide amongst the local population but then that brings a question again that we have been asking time and time again which is how does one recognize a Taliban or an al-Qaeda militant?
Is just having a beard and a gun enough for the US to pull the trigger and kill innocent civilians?
Dr. Wasif: Of course not. There are laws and regulations to conduct war and to conduct guerilla warfare and those are totally mentioned under Geneva Conventions, under Hague Conventions and under other conventions.
That is what you call international humanitarian laws. So how to conduct war...
Q: But Dr. Wasif is this being followed on the ground in Afghanistan?
Dr. Wasif: Well, in this case, I presume it is the fault not just of the US military but of the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists as well. I mean the Taliban should also follow being member of the international community and if they recognize themselves as a true legal guerilla entity, then they should follow international legal norms.
Otherwise they would be acting as mere terrorists. So in order to have an international recognition as an important legal guerilla force, they should follow the international legal norms which at times they do not and they are also involved in killing and bombing civilians and not just the US military.
Of course when the US military wants to take down those Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters, they also get involved in activities which are prohibited under international humanitarian laws.
So it is a matter for the both sides and both are liable for international legal actions and those are war crimes whether that be on part of Taliban or on part of US military. So they should refrain from engaging in such brutal acts.
Q: Right, it is interesting that you mentioned that. Top American officials have admitted that a negotiated solution with the Taliban will ultimately have to be struck. Where are such negotiations headed with NATO's airstrikes being carried on unabated and civilians bearing the brunt?
Dr. Wasif: Look, if you think that those American operatives who are working in Afghanistan or near Afghanistan from Pakistani bases are totally pursuing a policy given to them by the White House, you are mistaken.
What happens is that they are also human beings, what they do is at times they work at will. They seem to sell personal scores with the Taliban. So is the case with Taliban.
They also seem to sell personal scores or scores based on ethnicity or based on sectarian issues. The Taliban are also like that.
But as far as the withdrawing of the American forces is concerned, I think Americans are under tremendous pressure from domestic and economic front and from international pressure. They are basically on the verge of economic collapse.
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