A British soldier with local children in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2011.
A new report by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has found that up to 135 children were killed in the course of British military action in Afghanistan between 2006-2014. These figures, which are likely to be an underestimate, are yet another shocking indictment of the Western occupation of the country.
AOAV has also said that crossfire and airstrikes were the most commonly specified causes of death. The fact that these deaths are only being acknowledged after almost a decade or more suggests a concerted effort to cover them up and a failure to disclose the truth with regard to civilian casualties during the war.
These young lives must not be forgotten and there must be lessons learnt by the British government. The war in Afghanistan was a catastrophic failure on every level and must never be allowed to be repeated.
Stop the War Convenor, Lindsey German, said:
“This report illustrates what anti-war campaigners feared – that the war conducted by US, UK and other troops created large numbers of civilian casualties. The awful deaths of children through crossfire and air strikes were rarely acknowledged or reported. No wonder the occupiers did not win hearts and minds when they were there but instead were bitterly opposed by many ordinary Afghans.
The pitiful amounts paid in compensation only add insult to the terrible deaths and injuries which marked a 20 year war that ended in defeat.”