Mohddin is angry. His eyes glare at me while he speaks and he sits on the edge of his chair so that he can lean forward and emphasize his complaints. Unlike the majority of civilians who visit the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) office in Kandahar, he has not lost a close family member or suffered losses to his property. But he is angry about the life that he and his neighbors are being forced to endure. It is a life of insecurity and hardship, as civilians are caught in the middle of the fighting between the Taliban and the international forces.
Mohddin took the time to come into the AIHRC office because he feels that the situation is unjust. He was particularly frustrated with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). He told me that the people could not understand why the ISAF troops were hitting civilian targets. “They have sophisticated technology. Surely they can distinguish between the Taliban and the people,” he said, jabbing the air with his finger to emphasize his anger. “Now the people are beginning to think that the ISAF are deliberately targeting civilians. Their perception is that the ISAF forces are committing abuses and this is driving people more towards the AGE [Anti-Governmental Elements].”
Mohddin told me that night raids had occurred in his village and that at least two of his neighbors had been taken away by international security forces. Every day, the villagers were scared that they would be attacked – by the air or by land. ISAF forces, in particular, he said, failed to gather sufficient information and so they made fatal mistakes. “The government should bring security,” he told me, “And ISAF should also coordinate with the government in every military action that they are taking. And they should also work closely with the civilians and try to regain the trust of the civilians and then they can succeed.”
I asked Mohhdin about the biggest need facing his village, expecting him to mention a lack of food, or the need for the fighting to end. Instead, he responded immediately with a different request: “The biggest need is for the foreign troops to educate themselves more about Afghan culture. The night raids in particular are really bad. They are going into people’s houses and taking people and this is not right. When the people are taken, they are not really Taliban or AGE people. They are innocent. And the foreign troops realize this and so they give the civilians to government officials. But the government is really corrupt and they will not release the people so once they are put in prison they will be there for a long time. If they are not rich people, they cannot bribe officials to get out.” Whether or not Mohhdin has an accurate perception of what is happening to civilians, or whether individuals are Taliban members or not, it is important to recognize the growing anti-ISAF sentiment in the Kandahar province. More work clearly needs to be done in demonstrating greater cultural sensitivity and showing civilians that they are not being deliberately targeted in military operations. Unless this happens, any effort to win the “hearts and minds” of civilians in this province will surely be a fruitless endeavor.
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