[Nazim Jan, the commander of the local police unit in the village, confirmed that his forces had been informed by the farmers that they were going out to irrigate. It apparently made little difference that the crop was opium, which is grown extensively across the country despite more than $8 billion in American efforts to curb the industry.]
By Zabihullah Ghazi and Mujib
Mashal
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Security
forces in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan,
on
Saturday. In a tangled conflict of many players on both sides, civilians
are
bearing the brunt. Credit Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA, via Shutterstock
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CHAPARHAR,
Afghanistan — There was no
military curfew in the villages, but, as a precaution, the farmers still
informed the local police outpost that they would be in their fields before
dawn, with lanterns and shovels, to channel water to their crops.
In a chaotic war of many players on both
sides and with civilians bearing the brunt, the advance notice did not save
their lives.
On Saturday morning, an elite unit of the
Afghan intelligence agency descended on two villages in Chaparhar district in
the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing as many as eight farmers in their
fields, local elders said.
Provincial officials at first denied that
civilians had been killed in the raid. But when villagers carried the bodies to
the district center hours later, with nearly 200 protesters accompanying them
and chanting, “Death to the government” and “Death to America,” senior
officials privately acknowledged that government forces had caused the
casualties.
Making things worse, the police guarding the
district compound opened fire on the protesters, killing one and wounding two
others.
Afghanistan has experienced a rise in
violence in recent weeks even before the official start of what is expected to
be another bloody fighting season, when violence intensifies as the cold
weather relents. In two weeks, 170 security forces have been killed, according
to local news reports. The government says more than 500 insurgents were killed
in about the same period.
Fighting has raged across the country, with
some of the heaviest coming in the western province of Farah, where insurgents
are once again at the gates of its capital city and in the northern Faryab
Province, where dozens of local militia fighters have surrendered to the
Taliban. More than 100 advisers from the American-led NATO coalition have
arrived in Faryab to help.
The increase in violence is bound to once
again test the resolve of the country’s government, which recently presented an
extensive peace offer to the Taliban. Even as President Ashraf Ghani and his
international allies prepare mechanisms for what they see as an opening for
talks, with American officials reporting signals of willingness from some
Taliban leaders, they are wary of another bloody year ahead.
Last year, 3,438 civilians were killed and
7,015 wounded, according to the United Nations. As the war spreads across the
country, often deep into populated villages, the effects are taking a heavy
toll on civilians. When the violence is perpetuated by friendly forces, it
highlights the deadly bind in which civilians find themselves.
“It was 4 a.m. My two brothers were out to
channel the water, and we had informed the security post that we would be out
watering our plots,” said Mohammed Israr, whose two brothers were killed in
Mano, one of the villages attacked. “I was upstream, and the helicopters came
and fired at my brothers. They were killed, shovel in hand.”
Mr. Israr said that a bit farther from their
plot, five others who were taking a break for morning prayer, putting their
lanterns by the mosque, had also been targeted. They had also informed the
local security forces before going to the fields, he said.
The victims ranged in age from 14 to 40,
including Atiqullah, 20, who had gotten married three months ago. According to
Hukum Khan Dawlatzai, a local tribal elder, 29 others were arrested in the
raid. Officials from the country’s intelligence agency, the National
Directorate of Security, could not be reached for comment.
Nazim Jan, the commander of the local police
unit in the village, confirmed that his forces had been informed by the farmers
that they were going out to irrigate. It apparently made little difference that
the crop was opium, which is grown extensively across the country despite more
than $8 billion in American efforts to curb the industry.
“Yes, they had informed us that they would be
out watering their fields,” Mr. Jan said. “The helicopters came and shot them.
We saw the helicopters coming — they did it unilaterally, they killed innocent
civilians.”
The Afghan intelligence agency has long been
accused of abuses, particularly torture and mistreatment in detention centers.
Although a recent United Nations report said the government had shown
commitment to improving such practices, the agency continues to draw criticism.
The intelligence force has sometimes carried
out the clearing and holding work of regular army and police personnel, who are
stretched thin by the fighting. The force behind Saturday’s killings has been
identified as the elite “02 Unit.”
“Before this incident, too, the 02 Unit has
carried out multiple operations in which civilians have been killed or
wounded,” said Sabrina Hamidi, head of the Afghan human rights commission in
the east. “This is an issue of concern for us.”
In the west of the country, officials in
Farah Province said the provincial capital, Farah City, remained surrounded by
the Taliban.
“Over the last two weeks, we have lost more
than 40 security forces,” said Dadullah Qani, a member of the provincial council
in Farah.
Fighting has also raged in Faryab Province,
which has recently drawn more than 100 coalition advisers in support, according
to local security officials. Other coalition forces are waiting for the main
highway to be cleared before they can join the defense efforts, senior Afghan
security officials in the north said.
A government militia commander in the
province’s Gerzywan district, with about 80 of his fighters, surrendered to the
Taliban on Friday, according to Naqibullah, a fellow militia commander in
Gerzywan, and several other officials. But a spokesman for the Faryab police
played down the episode, saying the commander, Ghulam Nabi Shuja, had
surrendered with only 15 fighters.
Mohammed Taher Rahmani, head of the
provincial council in Faryab, described the problems. “From 14 districts, the
roads to only four districts are open,” he said. “Nine districts are facing
collapse, the roads are blocked, and supplying the forces is difficult.”
Coalition forces have used extensive
airstrikes in Faryab and in neighboring Jowzjan Province, according to Afghan
officials. In the Darzab district in Jowzjan, they deployed B-52 bombers, a
hallmark of the early years of the American-led invasion, the district
governor, Baz Mohammed Dawar, said.
Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the
American-led NATO coalition, said, “As a result of our alignment of air power,
we will maintain relentless pressure on the Taliban using a variety of aircraft
to conduct daily strikes, including B-52s” and other aircraft. “These strikes
continue to support a capable Afghan ground force,” he added.
Zabihullah Ghazi reported from Chaparhar,
Afghanistan; and Mujib Mashal from Kabul, Afghanistan. Reporting was
contributed by Taimoor Shah from Kandahar, Afghanistan; Najim Rahim from
Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan; and Fahim Abed from Kabul.