Amnesty demands reopening of probe into killing of 18 Afghans

KARACHI: Amnesty International (AI) has demanded to re-open investigation into the killing of 18 Afghan civilians by US Special Forces.
In a statement released AI said The Afghan victims and family members must obtain the justice and reparations they deserve.
The US authorities must ensure that the investigation into the alleged killing of some 18 Afghan civilians by US Special Forces is rigorous and thorough. Media reports indicate that the US military has renewed an inquiry into a Special Forces Unit believed to have been responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances between November 2012 and February 2013.
The unit allegedly killed up to 18 people in Wardak province’s Nerkh and Maidan Shahr districts. “This is a welcome but overdue move by US military authorities. It is shocking that the Afghan victims’ family members are still waiting for justice, despite overwhelming evidence that the Nerkh and Maidan Shahr killings amounted to war crimes,” said Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia Director.
“The investigators must carry out a rigorous and thorough inquiry, including interviews with former prisoners detained by the unit and family members of those who were killed. It is also crucial that family members are kept informed as the investigation progresses.”
AI documented the killings in a major 2014 report on the lack of accountability for civilian casualties caused by international military forces in Afghanistan.
The organisation found “abundant and compelling evidence of war crimes” in the Nerkh and Maidan Shahr case.
The report concluded that the deeply flawed US military justice system did not provide a fair opportunity for Afghan victims to obtain justice. Of 10 cases investigated in the report — involving the killing of at least 140 civilians, including at least 50 children — no one had been held criminally responsible.
“This case, albeit extremely serious, is one of many. We have seen again and again how the US military justice system fails to investigate and prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law in a prompt, fair and impartial manner,” said Richard Bennett.