Editor’s note: The Afghan presidential election in August was disputed because of speculation of fraudulent ballots. There was a call, including by some U.S. and U.N. officials, for a runoff election -- which was to take place on Nov. 7th. However, President Hamid Karzai’s chief rival Abdulla Abdullah withdrew from the race citing no faith in the country’s Independent Electoral Commission to administrate a fair election. Karzai has now been declared the official winner.
The German government should immediately launch a credible, transparent investigation into a Sept. 4th airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that killed scores of people, many of them civilians, Amnesty International said today.
The German military said on Thursday that NATO’s investigation suggested the airstrike, which targeted two fuel tanker trucks that had been hijacked by Taliban fighters five hours earlier, was appropriate even though it led to civilian casualties.
Amnesty international’s investigation into the Kunduz incident suggests that the laws of war may have been violated during the airstrike.
“An urgent and transparent investigation needs to be launched by the German government into what happened in Kunduz. NATO, and the German government, must show accountability for the loss of civilian life and prove that it has the will and mechanism in place to investigate civilian casualties,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director.
According to the German military, NATO’s investigation could not verify the exact number of casualties. Village elders from the area told Amnesty International in Kunduz that 142 people had been killed in the attack, of which at least 83 were civilians. The Taliban killed one of the tanker drivers during the hijacking, according to Afghan security officials.
The German Ministry of Defense stated that it would analyze the NATO report and consider further action as necessary.
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