Source: UNAMA
AFGHANISTAN PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT ANNUAL REPORT 2016 KABUL, AFGHANISTAN FEBRUARY 2017 
“This appalling conflict destroys lives and tears communities apart in every corner of Afghanistan. Real protection of civilians requires commitment and demonstrated concrete actions to protect civilians from harm and for parties to the conflict to ensure accountability for indiscriminate and deliberate acts of civilian harm.”
Tadamichi Yamamoto, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Kabul, February 2017.
“Children have been killed, blinded, crippled – or inadvertently caused the death of their friends – while playing with unexploded ordnance that is negligently left behind by parties to the conflict. Women continue to be brutally punished in parallel so-called ‘justice’ processes while religious minorities are targeted as they pray in their mosques. The consequences of each act of violence ripple through families and entire communities that are left broken, unable to sustain themselves and largely failing to obtain any semblance of justice or reparation. After nearly 40 years of constantly evolving armed conflict in Afghanistan, a Daesh franchise has now surfaced as an additional, deadly component. It is about time the various parties to the conflict ceased the relentless commission of war crimes and thought about the harm they are doing to their mothers, fathers, children and future generations by continuing to fuel this senseless, never-ending conflict.”
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, February 2017
DOWLOAD REPORT : protection_of_civilians_in_armed_conflict_annual_report_2016_final280317
Table of Contents
Methodology 1
Executive Summary 3
Recommendations 11
I. Human Rights Protection in Conflict-Affected Areas 15
Women and Armed Conflict 15
Children and Armed Conflict 18
Explosive Remnants of War 24
Impact of Armed Conflict on Health-Care 27
Impact of Armed Conflict on The Right to Freedom of Expression 31
Deliberate Sectarian Attacks against the Shia Muslim Religious Minority 34
Conflict-Related Displacement 36
Cross-Border Engagement 37
II. Ground Engagements – Civilians Caught in Cross-Fire 39
Civilian Casualties Attributed to Afghan National Security Forces 45
III. Anti-Government Elements & Daesh/Islamic State Khorasan Province 50
Improvised Explosive Devices 52
Suicide and Complex Attacks 59
Targeted and Deliberate Killings by Anti-Government Elements 63
Conflict-Related Abduction of Civilians 66
Parallel Justice Structure Punishments 68
Deliberate Targeting of Civilians and Civilian Objects 71
Taliban Claims of Responsibility and Public Statements 75
Daesh/Islamic State Khorasan Province 78
IV. Pro-Government Forces 82
Tactics and Incidents Causing the Most Harm to Civilians 82
Aerial Operations 83
Partnered search operations 89
Killings of Civilians by Afghan National Security Forces 90
Pro-Government Armed Groups 93
Afghan Local Police 96
Government Policies and Mechanisms for Civilian Casualty Mitigation 98
V. Legal Framework 100
VI. Glossary 105
Annex 1: Attacks Claimed by Taliban: Breakdown by Target Type 112
Annex 2: Table of Taliban Allegations of “War Crimes” 113
Annex 3: Press Statements by USFOR-A PUBLIC AFFAIRS 114
Annex 4: Statement by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the
UNAMA 2016 Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 116
Annex 5: NATO Resolute Support Official Response to the UNAMA 2016 Report on
Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 119
Annex 6: Taliban Response to UNAMA 2016 Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed
Conflict 121
