Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Macello afghano(2)

Iraq: US Data on Civilian Casualties Raises Serious Concerns
(New York, April 12, 2007) – US government documents made public by
court order raise serious concerns about the number of civilian
casualties caused by American soldiers and contractors in Iraq and the
standards under which it pays compensation to Iraqi victims, Human
Rights Watch said today. The records, which document compensation
claims made by the families of Iraqis killed by US troops, were
revealed today by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Iraq: US Data on Civilian Casualties Raises Serious Concerns
(New York, April 12, 2007) – US government documents made public by
court order raise serious concerns about the number of civilian
casualties caused by American soldiers and contractors in Iraq and the
standards under which it pays compensation to Iraqi victims, Human
Rights Watch said today. The records, which document compensation
claims made by the families of Iraqis killed by US troops, were
revealed today by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The families of more than 500 Iraqi civilians killed by US soldiers
have asked for compensation for their dead relatives, but only around
a third has been granted compensation, though they may have later
applied for “condolence” payments. The data consists of the claims
submitted by the Iraqis requesting compensation and the opinions and
memoranda of the Army judge-advocate generals (JAGs) evaluating the
cases, though some of the information has been redacted. It is not
clear in every case whether the JAG recommendation has been followed.
But the documents, revealed under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request, paint a grim picture of preventable civilian deaths at the
hands of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and raises serious
human rights concerns.  
 
“It’s commendable that the US pays compensation to the families of
Iraqis killed by American soldiers, but the military should maintain
clear and fair standards for making those payments,” said Marc
Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. “The US
government should also investigate shootings by civilian contractors,
compensate for deaths by contractors and hold accountable all
personnel who have acted in violation of their duty.”  
 
The files made public today by the ACLU document claims submitted to
the US Foreign Claims Commissions by surviving Iraqi and Afghan family
members of civilians said to have been killed by coalition forces. The
ACLU released 496 files: 479 from Iraq, between 2003 and 2006, the
majority in 2005; and 17 from Afghanistan, most in 2006, but with one
dating back to 2001. The US Army began a process of internal reporting
of civilian casualties in Iraq caused by US forces on a systematic
basis in 2005, but has never made that data public.  
 
The documents show 164 incidents resulted in cash payments to family
members; in around half of those cases, the United States accepted
responsibility for the death and offered a “compensation payment.” In
the other half, US authorities issued discretionary “condolence”
payments, capped at $2,500, “as an expression of sympathy” but
“without reference to fault.”  
 
In a very few cases, incidents have been forwarded for further
investigation, suggesting there are concerns of willful violations of
military rules or laws. In numerous cases where compensation payments
were made, the deaths of many Iraqis were determined by the US
military as being due to the “negligent” actions of American soldiers.
 
Cases where Iraqis were killed by soldiers traveling in US military
convoys illustrate the confusion in US policy, which states that
deaths in “combat” are not eligible for compensation. One Iraqi family
was granted payment for a relative killed because US soldiers fired to
clear the road – a violation of the Rules of Engagement, according to
the notes of a judge-advocate general in the case file, as well as to
another JAG consulted by Human Rights Watch. But similar claims were
denied on the basis of opinions by other JAGs that clearing the road
ahead of a convoy is a legitimate combat action and therefore not open
to payment. Such contradictory statements show the lack of uniformity
in the system and inconsistent interpretation by military lawyers.  
 
Other claims are denied, even if witnesses corroborate a claim of
death, because the incident is not found in the military’s
“significant actions” database, in which soldiers are supposed to log
combat actions and civilian casualties after returning from mission.
The database should not be used in this way as it is likely to be
flawed. There are many cases, such as killings by fire from a moving
convoy, in which US soldiers do not and cannot know that they have
caused a death, and therefore cannot report it. There is also the
possibility of the military simply not reporting incidents.  
 
Human Rights Watch is also concerned by the air of impunity
surrounding civilian contractors employed by the US government.
Although the claims process covers Department of Defense employees,
claims against contractors are denied out of hand on the grounds that
they “are not government employees.”  
 
“It’s shocking that the US government doesn’t compensate the deaths of
civilians caused by their hired guns,” Garlasco said. “Contractors
operating under the US military umbrella, as well as soldiers, should
be held accountable when they kill Iraqi civilians without any
justification.”  
 
While the documents show the US military is now performing a body
count of civilians killed by its forces – though it is likely at least
some civilian casualties are still not tallied – it is not applying
lessons learned across the board to improve the security of civilians.
The two actions the documents most frequently cite in the deaths of
Iraqi civilians are killings at checkpoints and in convoy actions. The
US Army has improved its checkpoint procedures, but has yet to reform
the way troops can fire from moving convoys. While military convoys
are at serious risk from suicide bombers, roadside explosive devices
and other attacks, the US army should urgently review its procedures
to ensure that harm to civilians is minimized, Human Rights Watch
said.  
 
“Reforming convoy procedures to cut down on ‘drive-by shootings’ while
fighting a violent insurgency obviously presents the army with a
formidable challenge,” Garlasco said. “But while the US military has a
right to defend itself from attack, it also has a legal and moral
obligation to protect civilians.”  
 
Human Rights Watch called on the US government and the US Armed
Forces:  
• To create uniform standards for determining compensation claims for
civilian casualties in Iraq caused by coalition forces, and make
public all data collected on the deaths of Iraqi civilians at the
hands of coalition forces, including contractors;  
• Not to automatically disqualify claims for deaths which are not
entered into the “significant actions” database;  
• To investigate civilian deaths at the hands of contractors and
create effective means of holding contractors to account; and,  
• To use the civilian casualty data to apply lessons learned that will
enhance civilian protections. 

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 Nuaruralmente era:" iracheno"
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