Review of Afghanistan developments
Recent revelations have uncovered new dimensions of the massacre of Afghan civilians by British forces, highlighting yet another war crimes committed by NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. According to confessions from former members of the British Special Air Service (SAS), the slaughter of Afghan civilians and detainees had become a routine for these soldiers, with some developing an addiction to killing.
These confessions, revealed during an investigative report by the BBC, pertain to the period of British military presence in Afghanistan and expose horrific dimensions of the killings of Afghan civilians and Taliban members, which warrant a designation beyond mere war crimes.
Several confessions regarding these war crimes have been made, indicating that British Special Forces executed handcuffed detainees, including children, at the scene. They would search individuals, place handcuffs on them, and then shoot them, subsequently cutting the plastic handcuffs and placing guns next to the bodies to make it appear as though they were armed. Unarmed individuals were killed in their sleep. The process of human slaughter had become an addiction, to the extent that one individual alone killed 35 civilians during just six months of his mission in Afghanistan. The agenda of the British special forces was the policy of ‘eliminating all men of combat age.
Undoubtedly, this report will not be the final revelation regarding the war crimes (violations of the laws of war) and crimes against humanity (mass killings) committed by NATO forces in Afghanistan, and this trend is expected to persist. The scale of the war crimes perpetrated by NATO forces during the two-decade-long conflict in Afghanistan is so extensive that it could fill volumes. While significant incidents, such as the crimes committed by British Special Forces, are likely to be investigated and reported due to their magnitude, countless smaller cases may remain concealed.
It has been established that military personnel from several NATO member countries have committed such war crimes in Afghanistan, with reports indicating that American forces have been at the forefront of these violations. Among the documented war crimes are several notable incidents. In 2012, an American soldier left his base in the early hours and entered a village in the Panjwai district of Kandahar, where he massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including several women and children. In 2020, 39 extrajudicial killings by Australian troops stationed in Afghanistan were revealed. Another crime was recorded involving Dutch soldiers in Urozgan province, where they shot at several residential homes, resulting in the deaths of multiple civilians.
The mission of mainstream media during wartime
During the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan, war crimes, often executed through nighttime operations, consistently faced protests from the public and certain Afghan officials, including Hamid Karzai. However, these protests were ineffective in halting the continuation of such war crimes. At that time, the primary mission of mainstream media was to support the military operations of the United States and its NATO allies, while investigative reports regarding the massacre of Afghan civilians were either prohibited or downplayed. The narrative surrounding the Afghan war was shaped by these Western-affiliated media outlets, and any alternative narratives were suppressed.
In this context, the remarks made by Karim Khurram, the former chief of staff to Hamid Karzai, following the recent revelations, are noteworthy: ‘In Eastern countries, particularly those with low literacy rates, there exists a tendency to learn their history through the perspectives of others, especially Westerners. During that time, whenever someone presented a narrative that diverged from the dominant Western account, they were often labeled as conspiracy theorists or accused of being affiliated with the Taliban and foreign nations.’ Indeed, this was the case, as any narrative that contradicted the U.S.-endorsed version was stigmatized as pro-Taliban and anti-American.
Despite the documented war crimes committed by NATO forces during their twenty-year occupation of Afghanistan, these offenses have largely gone unpunished by the countries involved, with only a few exceptions. Furthermore, international bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) have faced threats. In September 2018, the United States warned that if American soldiers serving in Afghanistan were charged, the judges of the ICC would face sanctions. Washington also threatened to cease cooperation with the ICC should investigations into allegations of U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan proceed.
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The war crimes committed by British Special Forces in Afghanistan will forever remain a stain and disgrace on the reputation of Western nations, which continuously claim to uphold human rights. These countries, which profess to protect human values and dignity, have inflicted a grievous wound on the fabric of human rights, while positioning themselves as leaders in this domain. They frequently accuse Eastern nations of human rights violations, despite having repeatedly committed such violations and disregarded human dignity during their two-decade occupation of Afghanistan.
It is painful that some individuals have believed in the false slogans of American and British leaders regarding the protection of human rights and have found solace in them. Even more distressing is the fact that, despite these revelations, there are still those who, although they do not express it openly, are secretly advocating for the military return of the United States to Afghanistan. A recent interview with an official opposing the Taliban government exemplifies this, as they called for dialogue with the U.S. regarding the handover of Bagram Airfield.
