Amnesty urges prosecution of troops for Afghan abuses

As the U.S. and its allies increase the numbers of troops in Afghanistan, they have to ensure that soldiers who cause civilian deaths or violate laws while hunting the Taliban are prosecuted, Amnesty International said.

Civilian casualties and raids on Afghan houses by foreign forces during anti-militant raids are a sensitive issue and have been a main source of tension between foreign troops and the Afghan government.

The issue has sapped support for the government and for the presence of foreign forces, more than seven years on since U.S.-led troops overthrew the Taliban in an invasion.

"Millions of Afghans face violence and insecurity worse than at any period since 2001," Amnesty said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Friday.

"...Some 40 percent (795) civilian casualties (in 2008) were due to operations by international and Afghan security forces - a 30 percent increase from 559 reported in 2007," it said.

Most of the casualties were caused by foreign forces' air strikes or raids on Afghan homes by international and national troops, it said.

Amnesty said the international military forces' lack of accountability and their ad hoc investigation and compensation programmes had aggravated the situation.

It said with the increase in troop numbers, which will bring the size of foreign forces from 74,000 to over 90,000 this year, the United States and its allies needed to ensure that civilian casualties and property damage due to raids were investigated promptly and impartially.

It said personnel found to have violated laws of war or international human rights laws had to be brought to justice.