MADRE Statements

MADRE Denounces Killing of 16 Afghan Civilians by US Soldier

Posted on: Monday, March 12, 2012

Keywords: Afghanistan, Asia, US Foreign Policy

Yesterday’s shooting of 16 civilians, including three women and nine children, marks yet another atrocity in the US war on Afghanistan. As news emerges that a US soldier broke into three homes near his military base to carry out the brutal attacks, MADRE condemns this appalling act.

The Obama Administration has apologized for the attacks and labeled them the responsibility of a lone assailant. Yet, this incident accompanies past assaults on Afghan civilians. These include the so-called “kill team” of US soldiers who murdered Afghan civilians and tried to pass the victims off as enemy combatants. These also include persistent reports of prisoner abuse and torture at the Bagram air base.

For years, Afghan people have been the targets of attacks and violations at the hands of the US military. The stream of US government apologies ring increasingly hollow as more family and community members are lost in this ongoing war.

Meanwhile, the Taliban—also responsible for widespread violence against civilians—has responded to the latest attacks by vowing vengeance on the US. They are further strengthened as the hostility of the Afghan people to the presence of US troops grows.

MADRE stands with activists, in Afghanistan and around the world, who call for peace, accountability and an end to the US occupation.

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