Civilian Afghan deaths define U.S. effort

WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan succeeded in targeting the Taliban leader, but U.S. progress may be tempered by the high rate of civilian deaths.

In a recent analysis, the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think tank, found that the death of Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah in Afghanistan was a positive development for the United States and its allies. However, a recent spate of attacks on civilians, despite being unintentional, may leave an overall damaged image of the United States, the report said.

The report tallies at least 97 civilian deaths at the hands of U.S. or NATO forces between March and May of this year. One incident in March that resulted in 19 civilian deaths prompted the U.S. government to issue an apology for a "terrible, terrible mistake," the report noted.

Afghan newspapers and government officials have reacted to the high number of civilian deaths by publishing editorials accusing the United States and NATO of "war crimes" and calling for more oversight.

According to a Human Rights Watch study cited by CFR, many more civilians are dying in suicide attacks launched by the Taliban. In 2007, about 700 Afghan civilians died in attacks by the Taliban or other groups, while 230 civilians were killed in U.S. or coalition strikes.

The problem for the United States is characteristic of the challenge faced on all fronts in the global war on terrorism. With many of the combatants tracked by U.S.-led forces living among the civilian population, it is difficult to separate the aggressors from the innocents.

This challenge, and the U.S.-led forces' poor handling of it as suggested by the increasing rate of civilian casualties, has led some members of the Afghan Parliament to call for a military cease-fire or a withdrawal of foreign troops, CFR reported.