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U.S. Forces Endanger Aid Workers In Afghanistan: E.U.
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A
U.S. military officer escorting an Afghan prisoner in eastern
Afghanistan
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BRUSSELS,
May 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The European
Union’s executive committee on Thursday, May 27, accused the U.S.
forces of endangering the lives of aid workers in southern
Afghanistan.
The
activity of relief workers is made dangerous by U.S.-led troops in
southern Afghanistan dressing in civilian clothes and using the same
vehicles as aid agencies, European Commission spokesman Jean-Charles
Ellermann-Kingombe said.
"In
the south, in addition to the general level of insecurity, we have
seen a new trend where humanitarian aid workers are being specifically
targeted... and increasingly being perceived by the local population
as not being neutral, " he was quoted by Agence France-Presse
(AFP) as saying.
"We
believe that elements in the coalition forces, through their behavior,
contribute to a situation where the distinction between humanitarian
and military personnel is becoming blurred," Ellermann-Kingombe
added.
Announcing
the donation of 35 million euros (43 million dollars), he said:
"We would have liked to do more but the security situation in the
country clearly remains an important constraint."
"We
clearly feel that these practices have to stop."
Clearly
Identified
The
U.S.-led 20,000 troops, who are overwhelmingly Americans, are deployed
mostly in the troubled southeast of Afghanistan allegedly to hunt
Al-Qaeda and remnants of the ousted Taliban regime.
Ellermann-Kingombe
contrasted their behavior with that of a separate, NATO-led
peacekeeping force that is largely confined to the Afghan capital
Kabul.
Members
of the 6,500-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
were always clearly identified as military personnel, he said.
"This
is a good practice that should also be applied in these other
areas," the spokesman stressed.
Deployed
for more than two years now, American-led forces are under fire from
local inhabitants furious over military provocations and unjustified
detentions in the still-restive country.
In
March, a 59-page
report by Human Rights Watch said U.S. forces have used
"unprovoked deadly force" during their sweeps to arrest
civilians in "uncontested residential areas".
The
U.S. forces are also accused of abusing Afghan detainees, with the
international watchdog saying the abuse was "systematic"
and not limited to a few cases.
Amnesty
International said on Wednesday, May 26, that the U.S.-led "war
on terror" has led to the worst
human rights abuses in 50 years.
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