By Chris Fighting in South Waziristan has led to the death of many civilians, according to reports from those fleeing the area. However, restrictions on access make it impossible to get accurate information on civilian casualties. The restrictions prevent all aid workers and journalists from reaching South Waziristan. As a result, no one knows how…
By Chris As many of you know, CIVIC documented the stories of civilians in conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ensured they received help. Now we hope to do the same in Pakistan. As CIVIC’s representative in Pakistan I’ll document civilian harm in the current armed conflict and advocate for assistance to the people suffering…
Posted by Chris Finally arrived in Pakistan last week and began work. Let me begin by giving you a quick snapshot of the situation here. After a relatively calm couple of months, the past two weeks have seen a marked increase in violence. Nearly 200 people were killed in a spate of militant attacks, including…
Posted by Chris, CIVIC Fellow Hi everyone! I’m excited to be joining CIVIC and begin working in Pakistan. After some last minute visa drama, I will be leaving soon for Islamabad. I’ll be writing here about our work in Pakistan throughout the coming months, but let me begin by introducing myself and explain my interest in CIVIC’s work. LINK…
Posted by Erica G from Kabul In the two months since Gen. Stanley McChrystal assumed ISAF command, we have seen a serious shift in thinking about civilian casualties and Afghan community concerns. This is most clearly embodied in the July Tactical Directive‘s much stricter guidelines on airstrikes and other uses of force that could risk…
Posted by Erica G from Kabul Last Wednesday evening at 2pm, international forces raided a clinic in Wardak province run by one of the largest NGOs in Afghanistan, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA). They forced entry into several rooms, tied up local staff and some family members of the patients, and ordered even bed-ridden…
Posted by Erica G from Kabul Since the new UN estimates on civilians killed so far in 2009 were released on Friday, I’ve been getting questions on whether these numbers are helpful, or even accurate, in describing the conflict: What’s the value of the obsession with body counting? In one sense, these numbers offer a…
by Nimmi Gowrinathan When the cameras came, everyone came to the edges of the IDP camp. One hand on the hot metal of a barbed wire fence, the emptiness in their eyes was captured in images flashed around the world as the military campaign of the Government of Sri Lanka came to end. The cameras…
By Erica Gaston The UN issued its mid-year review on civilian deaths this morning. More than 1000 Afghan civilians have been killed so far this year — 24% more than in the first part of 2008. Two key take-aways from the report: 1) Numbers of those killed by insurgent attacks are way up (59% of…