Despite five years of international military operations in Kandahar and Lashkar Gah, the hospitals remain in a state of complete decay and are seen as a glaring symbol of the international community's lack of concern for the Afghan people. This disregard for the welfare of the Afghan people is resulting in anger and frustration, and as a direct consequence, support for the international efforts is being lost, and receptivity for insurgent propaganda is increasing.

The war in Afghanistan is being unnecessarily prolonged, and even conceded, by the international community's decision not to use obvious strategic weapons - such as the provision of effective assistance to injured and displaced civilian casualties - to build trust and win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. In so doing, the international community is seen as making the situation worse for local Afghan people, not better, provoking anger and frustration, and providing the perfect conditions for insurgents to gain support. The international community's military actions, particularly its bombing campaigns, are causing injury and death to innocent Afghan civilians. These injuries and deaths are more than just 'collateral damage', and as such proper provision must be made by the international community to care for the victims of its counter-insurgency tactics.

For more information about this report, please contact Mr. Jorrit Kamminga, Head of Policy Research at ICOS at:
.
Full report in English (4,83 Mb, PDF)