Editorial: Amnesty International on American war crimes in Afghanistan

The Amnesty International released a candid and honest report on the Obama’s administration led Pentagon that covered up war crimes in Afghanistan. This human rights watchdog says the US military systematically ignored evidence of torture and unlawful killings in Afghanistan as recently as last year. This international right group has taken the lid off this issue, however, the US military has not been involved in this heinous practice as recently as last year, but they have been at it during the past decade. Why the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has always worn an angry look in front of Americans is because he knew about what the US military has been doing in this country. Why he has had objected at American troops presence in Afghan villages? To be candid the US military has systemically covered up or disregarded abundant compelling evidences of war crimes, torture, and unlawful killings. Afghan media including this paper have always raised their concerns, but anyhow it really worth appreciation that an international organization such as Amnesty Internationally finally released a report on this issue. The reason why Karzai has always dithered on signing the bilateral security agreement (BSA) with the United States could be the US military’s excesses and human rights violation. That’s why he defied signing the agreement. Though he received pressure from all sides at home—from the parliament, the senate, his advisors, and few friendly countries, but he didn’t budge even an inch from his standpoint. He knew that this security agreement is highly crucial for political, economic and security gains, but he might have looked at its darker sides as well and that’s the absolute immunity for American troops. As Amnesty International revealed the US military has routinely failed to properly probe reports of criminal acts and in some cases tampered with evidences to hide the wrongdoings. Since the US is the leading belligerent force in the war on terror, none could make this country accountable. Its military stand accountable to none. Even they are immune to be trialed in the International Criminal Court. This very thing has unveiled the true face of the Unites States. America has two faces—the one it wears at home and the second one it wears abroad. The two faces carry 180 degree contrast. At home Americans are told that their government is fighting for democracy, human rights—including women rights and tackling with terrorism, but abroad the US government goes totally against what it says at home. Today the world is far more insecure than it was just 15 or 20 years back. To safeguards its national interests and defeat the then USSR, it has create a force made up of religious fanatics called Mujahideen. They were feted as war heroes and holy warriors in American press when they were fighting against the Soviet troops. Now the US has come to this part of the world to reap this whirlwind, however, it has adopted highly a different course, which is full of human rights violations, where Afghan citizens were killed as if they were just insects. President Obama has already admitted that “we tortured people in the past.” However, the author of the report released by Amnesty International Joanne Mariner says that this is not the Bush administration but this torture is happening under Obama. But it doesn’t mean the torture only happened to be under the Bush administration. The only difference is the Bush administration sanctioned it officially while Obama vowed to end such practices but only to verbal effects as it’s still going on, but officially denied under the Obama administration. This policy is deadliest as actions are covered up with verbal denials—which come under dishonesty.

Afghanistantimes

Tags: American, Amnesty, crimes, International, war

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