The Human Toll Of War: Counting Afghanistan's Dead Civilians

The war in Afghanistan has resulted in a devastating loss of civilian life. Since 2001, more than 70,000 Afghan civilians are estimated to have died as a direct result of the war. This figure is likely a significant underestimation as it does not account for indirect deaths caused by the destruction of infrastructure, environmental contamination, and lack of access to healthcare, food, and sanitation. The true number of civilian casualties is difficult to ascertain as the US Department of Defense has suppressed information about the human cost of the war. However, it is critical that the public has accurate information to make informed decisions and hold the government accountable. The war has not only taken lives but also left deep scars on Afghan society, with high rates of mental health issues, malnutrition, and poverty.

Civilian deaths caused by US-led airstrikes

Since the US troops first set foot in Afghanistan in 2001, the Defense Department has gone to great lengths to control and suppress information about the human cost of war. The US military has been facing questions over how it conducts airstrikes and whether it is doing enough to prevent killing civilians and to report those casualties when it does.

In 2017, the US military relaxed its rules of engagement for airstrikes in Afghanistan, which resulted in a dramatic increase in civilian casualties. The number of civilians killed by US-led airstrikes in Afghanistan increased by 330% from the last year of the Obama administration to the last full year of recorded data during the Trump administration.

According to a New York Times investigation, the US military vastly undercounted civilian deaths caused by airstrikes in the Middle East since 2014. The investigation reviewed a hidden Pentagon archive comprised of the military's confidential assessments of over 1,300 reports of civilian casualties in airstrikes, finding there was "flawed intelligence, faulty targeting," and a lack of accountability for wrongdoing.

The US military said between seven and 24 civilians were killed in a 2016 airstrike in Tokhar, Syria. However, the Times investigation found that over 120 civilians were actually killed in the strike. American Special Operations forces were targeting what they believed were ISIS "staging areas," but the airstrike actually hit homes where civilians were taking cover.

In another incident in early 2017 in Iraq, an American warplane struck a dark-colored vehicle, believed to be a car bomb, but was actually carrying Majid Mahmoud Ahmed, his wife, and their two children, who were fleeing the fighting. They and three other civilians were killed.

In November 2015, American forces struck a building in Ramadi, Iraq, after observing a man dragging an "unknown heavy object" into an ISIS "defensive fighting position." A military review found that the object was actually "a person of small stature," a child who died in the strike.

The US military's own confidential assessments of more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties reveal that the air war has been marked by deeply flawed intelligence, rushed and often imprecise targeting, and the deaths of thousands of civilians, many of them children.

Overall, the US airstrikes have killed at least 22,000 civilians since 9/11, mainly in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The minimum estimate counts around 4,800 civilian airstrike deaths in Afghanistan.

According to UN data, between 2016 and 2020, there were a total of 3,977 civilian casualties from airstrikes in Afghanistan, with 2,122 civilians killed and 1,855 injured. Among them, 785 children were killed and 813 injured, accounting for 40% of all civilian airstrike casualties.

The majority (62%) of civilian deaths from airstrikes were caused by international forces, with the US Air Force responsible for more than two-thirds (69%) of child casualties in 2019. The US forces' increased reliance on aerial operations and relaxed rules of engagement have had devastating impacts on Afghan civilians.

Human rights abuses by CIA-armed Afghan militia groups

Extrajudicial Killings

The CIA-backed Afghan strike forces have been responsible for the extrajudicial killings of civilians during night raids. In one incident in October 2018, an Afghan paramilitary force unit raided a home in the Rodat district of Nangarhar province, shooting dead five civilian members of one family, including an elderly woman and a child. In another incident in December 2018, the Khost Protection Force fatally shot six civilians during a night search operation in Paktia province. These are not isolated cases, with Human Rights Watch documenting 14 cases of serious abuses by CIA-backed Afghan strike forces between late 2017 and mid-2019.

Enforced Disappearances

The CIA-backed Afghan militia groups have been implicated in the enforced disappearances of detainees. In some cases, individuals have been detained and their families have not been informed of their whereabouts. In other cases, individuals have been forcibly disappeared and their fate remains unknown.

Attacks on Healthcare Facilities

The CIA-backed Afghan militia groups have also been accused of attacking healthcare facilities that treat insurgents. In July 2019, a strike force unit raided a medical clinic in Wardak province, accusing clinic staff of treating Taliban fighters. During the raid, two caregivers, a guard, and a clinic lab worker were killed.

Lack of Accountability

There is a lack of accountability for the human rights abuses committed by CIA-armed Afghan militia groups. The US and Afghan governments have failed to adequately investigate allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses. The CIA's operations and actions by CIA-backed forces are shrouded in secrecy, with little to no public oversight or accountability.

The indirect impact of war on civilian health

The disruption of education and the destruction of schools also have indirect impacts on civilian health. Education is linked to health literacy and health outcomes, and the lack of access to education can contribute to poor health.

The indirect impacts of war on civilian health are wide-ranging and complex, and the effects can be long-lasting. It is important to address these impacts to improve the health and well-being of affected populations.

The suppression of information about civilian deaths

Since the US troops first set foot in Afghanistan in 2001, the Defense Department has gone to great lengths to control and suppress information about the human cost of war. The US military's refusal to disclose statistics on civilian casualties and its erasure of journalists' footage of civilian deaths have contributed to a lack of transparency.

The US military's efforts to suppress information about civilian casualties in Afghanistan have been well-documented. The Defense Department banned photographers on US military bases from covering the arrival of caskets containing the remains of soldiers killed overseas. They also invited US journalists to "embed" with military units but required them to submit their stories for pre-publication review, making independent and objective reporting more difficult.

The US military's actions have been criticised by organisations like the ACLU, which has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain more information about civilian casualties. Despite these efforts, the public has not had full and accurate information about the human cost of the war in Afghanistan.

The US military's refusal to disclose information about civilian casualties has also made it difficult to hold them accountable for their actions. The CIA's arming and funding of Afghan militia groups, who have been implicated in serious human rights abuses and killings of civilians, is another example of the lack of transparency and accountability.

The number of civilians killed by Taliban attacks

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in attacks, according to the United Nations. This figure includes 92 women and 287 children.

The Taliban was responsible for the majority of attacks, according to the UN's mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). The report also noted that the deadliness of attacks had escalated despite fewer violent incidents.

The majority of deaths—just over 700—were caused by improvised explosive devices, including suicide bombings in public places such as mosques, education centres and markets.

The UN report also noted that the attacks were carried out amid a nationwide financial and economic crisis. With a sharp drop in donor funding since the takeover, Afghans are struggling to get access to “medical, financial and psychosocial support”.

The Taliban's rule has imposed strict interpretations of Islamic law. Girls' education has been banned after the sixth grade, and Afghan women have been barred from public life and most work, including for non-governmental organisations and the UN.

The Taliban administration has not been officially recognised by the UN and the international community.

Historical Context

The war in Afghanistan has incurred staggering costs for the United States, Afghans and others. The US government spent $2.3 trillion, and the war led to the deaths of 2,324 US military personnel, 3,917 US contractors and 1,144 allied troops.

For Afghans, the statistics are nearly unimaginable: 70,000 Afghan military and police deaths, 46,319 Afghan civilians (although that is likely a significant underestimation) and some 53,000 opposition fighters killed. Almost 67,000 other people were killed in Pakistan in relation to the Afghan war.

The war has also inflicted invisible wounds. In 2009, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported that two-thirds of Afghans suffer from mental health problems.

About 243,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan/Pakistan warzone since 2001. More than 70,000 of those killed have been civilians.

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