Suraya Sadeed/Help the Afghan Children
Meara Dietrick writes for Thirdway Café about the impact of civilian deaths in Afghanistan. Civilians have been affected the most by continued insecurity and war. She notes that protecting civilians can go a long way toward bringing peace and security:
Rather than winning the “hearts and minds” of the people, the high number of civilian deaths is increasingly alienating the Afghan population. Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. State Department, observed on her recent visit to Afghanistan that Afghan civilians deeply desire “to be able to have a livelihood, to be able to care for their families, to be able to not feel threatened in terms of their well-being from the conflict that surrounds them.”
As levels of insecurity in Afghanistan escalate, many Afghan families are feeling increasingly unable to care for and protect their families. The high number of civilians killed as a result of U.S. and international forces leads not only to growing resentment toward those forces, but also contributes to the growth of insurgent groups.
In order to bring security and peace to Afghanistan, all efforts must be made to protect the lives of civilians. We must encourage the U.S. government to actively work towards a new strategy for Afghanistan that protects and upholds the well-being of Afghan civilians.
