Night raids on militants in Afghanistan Thinking the worst Not an unmitigated tactical success

Night raids on militants in Afghanistan

Thinking the worst

Not an unmitigated tactical success

 

THE nightmare began with gunfire. Residents of this poor village in eastern Afghanistan were jolted awake by what sounded like shooting from their guards at thieves outside their compound. Moments later, they say, soldiers spilled over the walls in a flurry of grenades and bullets that left at least eight people dead, including a father and his four sons. The American army said the raid’s targets were militants, including a Taliban sub-commander, who was killed. Two insurgents were captured, it said, along with automatic rifles and “communications equipment”.
It was the second deadly night raid in Surkh Rod district in as many weeks. And if the finger-pointing is predictable, so is the fallout. Within hours a mob of hundreds of neighbours and relations filled the streets, wielding torches and throwing stones, to chants of “Death to America” and “Long Live the Taliban”. Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, and Gul Agha Sherzai, a former warlord from Kandahar who now governs Nangarhar province, were similarly cursed. Some protesters smashed windows in an attempt to storm local-government offices. The police shot back, killing at least one more person.
The number of civilians killed in air strikes has fallen since General Stanley McChrystal took command of international forces in Afghanistan last year. But there has been a rise in casualties in “night raids”. Of nearly 600 civilian deaths attributed to foreign troops last year, raids accounted for more than half. An errant special-forces raid in Paktia province on February 12th killed an Afghan police officer, his brother, two pregnant women and a teenage girl celebrating a birth. A rare formal apology was made.
Even when no one is killed, the trauma of doors being kicked down and women exposed to strangers is seen as a grave affront. Domestic raids deepen the anger and distrust felt by ordinary Afghans. General McChrystal noted as much in January, when he issued a new directive to avoid needless casualties and heavy-handed intrusions. Afghan troops would take the lead on missions and local elders were to be consulted in advance “whenever possible”. The guidelines have made regular soldiers more cautious. But they do not apply to special-forces units. Engaged in “black” operations to disrupt the Taliban leadership structure, they worry consultation might jeopardise their campaign. Dozens of commanders are said to have been captured or killed ahead of a southern offensive soon to be mounted around Kandahar. But the tactical impact of their operations has to be weighed against the cost fatal mistakes exact in local goodwill.
Koshkaky is just 14km (9 miles) west of Jalalabad, a calm city firmly in the hands of the government. Nasratullah Arsala, head of the provincial council, insists the area is “Taliban-free”. Local residents readily check off the raid victims’ names and ages. Witnesses say that after the assault they were interrogated for hours and stripped of mobile phones and the guns they keep to defend themselves against bandits. A similar story is told by Safiya Sidiqi, a local member of parliament, about a raid on April 29th, in which her family home was shot up, killing a relation who thought the house was being robbed.
Whatever happened that night in Koshkaky, many Afghans suspect the worst. A history of botched raids and air strikes by coalition forces lends rumours of their alleged mistakes credibility, even where the insurgency is weak. As the war intensifies and mishaps multiply around the country, winning hearts and minds may become even harder. A neighbour of the victims in Koshkaky speaks for many: “If the Americans do this again, we are ready to shed our blood against them. We would rather die than sit by and do nothing.”