NATO strikes killing more Afghan civilians

NATO troops accidentally killed 72 civilians in the first three months of 2010, up from 29 in the same period in 2009, according to figures the International Security Assistance Force gave USA TODAY. The numbers were released after Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, issued measures to protect ordinary Afghans.

A Red Cross report out Thursday said the number of civilians killed and wounded by Taliban roadside bombs has soared in Kandahar, where NATO and Afghan forces are preparing for a major offensive against the insurgent stronghold.

Some Afghans say the rise in civilian deaths may help the enemy. "If (it) continues, people will abandon the government and join the Taliban," says Malalai Ishaqzai, a member of parliament.

McChrystal has limited the use of airstrikes and raids on households that put civilians at risk. The emphasis on protecting non-combatants is part of a strategy to win the public's support.

It appeared to be working: Civilian deaths at the hands of U.S.-led troops dropped 28% in 2009 to 596, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

"The pace of operations this year is considerably higher than last," leading to a 75% increase in "significant events" such as firefights and weapons seizures, said NATO spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Iain Baxter of the British navy.

NATO forces have reduced airstrikes, which accounted for 61% of the civilians killed by NATO and Afghan forces last year, according to the U.N. mission. But civilians continue to be endangered.

Four people were killed by NATO troops Monday when their bus driver ignored warnings to stop or slow down as he overtook a NATO convoy. The incident prompted an anti-American protest.

"No system is 100% guaranteed, and regrettably in a very small number of incidents, the warnings are ignored and lethal force is used," Baxter says.

Night raids are another risk, says Ahmad Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. On Feb. 12, NATO and Afghan troops searching for a Taliban member killed five civilians in a night raid. In response, McChrystal ordered troops last month to avoid night raids on homes when possible.

Civilian deaths undermine NATO efforts to win Afghan loyalty, says Seth Jones, a counterinsurgency specialist at the Rand think tank. However, he says the Taliban is to blame for most civilian deaths (67% last year, the U.N. mission says) and the United States should emphasize that fact.

The Red Cross said the Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar admitted up to 40% more patients wounded by Taliban bombs in the first two months of the year compared with the same period last year.

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