KABUL, Afghanistan - The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan issued updated rules of battle Wednesday, repeating hispredecessor's curbs on use of air power and heavy weapons when civiliansare at risk but stressing the right of troops to defend themselves.
Also Wednesday, New Zealand announced it suffered its first combat death of the war during an ambush a day earlier in one of Afghanistan'smost peaceful provinces. The Taliban claimed responsibility, raisingconcern that the insurgency is spreading beyond its strongholds even asU.S. and NATO forces are ramping up the war against the insurgents inthe south.
The new guidance comes after widespread complaints from troops that rules laid down by former commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal were puttingthem in danger and handing the advantage to the Taliban.
There had been speculation that Gen. David Petraeus - who took over from McChrystal a month ago - might ease the rules. But Petraeus, likeMcChrystal, emphasized that protecting the Afghan people was the toppriority in the war.
McChrystal stressed the need to reduce civilian casualties as a tool for winning the war - noting that every civilian killed the crossfirecreated a legion of family members with a grudge against NATO forces andmotivation to join the Taliban.
Under this guidance, NATO forces drastically restricted the use of airstrikes, which had previously been called in without knowledge of whowas inside a building. Troops were also instructed to only fire onpeople who were actively firing on them.
Though McChrystal's directive did frustrate many Soldiers in the field, it also led to a drop in civilian deaths attributed to NATOforces.
Petraeus said nothing in the guidance was meant to hinder the right to self-defense.
"We must employ all assets to ensure our troopers' safety, keeping in mind the importance of protecting the Afghan people as we do," Petraeuswrote.
A spokesman for NATO forces said the directive will help troops understand how to balance the two.
"We also have now an absolutely clear wording and language on the necessary balance between the right of self-defense, the protection ofthe people, and the assurance of moms and dads back home that their boysand girls absolutely do have the necessary means and measures toachieve mission and success," said NATO spokesman Brig. Gen. JosefBlotz.
The new directive implied that some lower-level commanders had misinterpreted McChrystal's guidance and made rules in their areas morerestrictive than needed.
"Subordinate commanders are not authorized to further restrict this guidance without my approval," Petraeus wrote in the document.
Petraeus said the rules were not aimed at slowing the war, but were essential to victory.
"We must continue to demonstrate our resolve to the enemy," Petraeus wrote. "We will do so through our relentless pursuit of the Taliban andothers who mean Afghanistan harm, through our compassion for the Afghanpeople, and through the example we provide to our Afghan partners."
The battle to win over the civilian population is being waged on both sides. The Taliban issued a directive a little over a week ago thatcalls on their fighters to avoid killing civilians and forbids them fromseizing weapons and money.
However, the 69-page Taliban booklet also declares that people working for international forces or the Afghan government are"supporters of the infidels" and can be killed.
Also Wednesday, a presidential delegation sent to investigate civilian casualties in southern Afghanistan reported that 39 civilianswere killed and four others were injured in fighting last month inSangin district of Helmand province. According to a statement issued byPresident Hamid Karzai's office, the delegation stayed in Sangin for sixdays, interviewing local officials and relatives of the victims.
Earlier, the Afghan government said 52 civilians died when a NATO rocket struck the village of Rigi, one of the most violent areas of thecountry.
That report was disputed by the international coalition. NATO said investigators determined that alliance and Afghan troops came underattack about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of the village and respondedwith helicopter-borne strikes. Coalition forces reported six insurgentskilled, including a Taliban commander.
At least 2,412 Afghan civilians were killed in fighting last year - up 14 percent from 2008, according to the United Nations. The U.N. foundthat about two-thirds of the civilian deaths were a result of actionsinitiated by the insurgents, while the percentage of civilian deathsattributed to NATO and Afghan government forces had dropped.
In the days since the release of their code of conduct, insurgents have killed 43 Afghan civilians - most in bomb explosions, NATO said.
The nearly 9-year-old war is becoming increasingly deadly. July was the deadliest month for U.S. forces with 66 troops killed, and June wasthe deadliest month for the overall NATO force with 103 killed.
The attack against the New Zealanders occurred in Bamiyan province, a central area where most of the ethnic Hazara population opposes theinsurgents. Two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan translator werewounded, New Zealand Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. Jerry Mateparae toldreporters in Wellington.
He said the three-vehicle patrol was attacked with a roadside bomb, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Provincial spokesman Abdul Rahman Ahmadi said the attack occurred about 5 p.m. in the Kohmard district of northern Bamiyan. Ahmadi saidthe insurgents were believed to have infiltrated from nearby Baghlanprovince, which has seen an increase in Taliban activity in recentweeks.
Insurgent activity has been spreading into areas beyond the militants' longtime bases in the south and east of the country, even asthe U.S. and its allies are rushing thousands of reinforcements to tryto turn back the Taliban. The focus of U.S. and NATO operations has beenin the ethnic Pashtun south.
Replies
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next