JASON'S REPORTING
"Afghan villagers flee from Taliban," The Washington Times
Civilian casualties strain NATO
"Pakistan's war on Taliban swells refugee camps," The San Francisco Chronicle
"U.S. troops take heat so Afghans can rebuild," The San Francisco Chronicle
Slideshow: U.S. at disadvantage in Afghan insurgent hotbed The San Francisco Chronicle
"Afghanistan's Propaganda War: The Taliban's Public Relations Machine," U.S. News and World Report
>> Home >> Asia
Afghanistan: Civilians Under Siege
In 2008, there were over 2,100 civilians casualties across Afghanistan. US airstrikes accounted for 552 deaths, up more than 70% compared to the year before. Militants were responsible for more than half the overall total.
The bitter truth is that most of these incidents could be avoided. And yet they continue as public support for the Afghan government and its international supporters sinks to new lows. Although some attention has accompanied the mounting casualties, media coverage has seldom explored the long-term effects of these traumas on Afghan communities: How have insurgents tried to exploit local grievances? Have more young men joined their ranks, looking for revenge? Have affected communities turned against the government, irrevocably? Or, when insurgents are responsible, shifted toward the government?
A survey of major incidents that have taken place in the past year will lay the groundwork for a case study of a locality where innocent civilians have recently been killed. By returning to the scene in the following weeks to measure the fallout, this project aims to illustrate the cost when bystanders become war victims.
Related Projects:
Human Terrain: The New Counterinsurgency?
Afghanistan: The Limits of Counterinsurgency
Education in Afghanistan: Opportunity in Peril
A Journey Home: Afghanistan through the Eyes of a Returning Refugee
Afghanistan: Failure of Expectation
Fort Bragg East: Rebuilding Afghanistan
This project is part of the Pulitzer Gateway Fragile States, an interactive educational portal that
helps tell the stories of the dangers weak states around the world pose
-- and also the international interventions that appear to be making a
difference. Fragile States also includes reporting from
Pulitzer projects in East Timor, Bosnia, Haiti, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.
Join the conversation by sharing your story about fragile states. Learn more about the Pulitzer Center's Global Gateway.
Jason Motlagh
Jason Motlagh is a roving freelance multimedia journalist. He has reported from over 30 countries throughout West Africa, the Mideast, Central and South Asia for leading US and international media outlets
Click on name above for full bio
NGO's
Human Rights Watch report: Airstrikes and Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan
The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict CIVIC
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
NEWS
"Afghan Civilian Deaths Rose 40 Percent in 2008," by Dexter Filkins, The New York Times
"Afghan Civilian Deaths: A Rising Toll," by Mark Thompson, Time
A Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States' Aerial Bombing of Afghanistan