Bron: Truthout
President Joe Biden’s decision to end the Afghan war – one that should never have been fought in the first place — was correct. Missing from the national discourse, however, is analysis of the illegality of the 2001 U.S.-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan (dubbed “Operation Enduring Freedom”) and resulting war crimes committed by four U.S. presidents and their top officials and lawyers. Once again, the United States has lost a war it started illegally. But as U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, the Biden administration continues to kill — and promises to persist in killing — Afghan people.
Twintig jaar van die Amerikaanse oorlog en besetting in Afghanistan het gekos ten minste $ 2.26 triljoen en het gelei tot die sterftes of more than 2,300 Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians. The “war on terror” George W. Bush launched with his “Operation Enduring Freedom” has included the torture and abuse of untold numbers people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantánamo and the CIA black sites. It has regse terrorisme vererger in die Verenigde State en verskaf die voorwendsel vir die alomteenwoordige toesig of Muslims and those who dissent against government policy. And whistleblowers who expose U.S. war crimes have been rewarded with vervolgings kragtens die Wet op Spioenasie en lang tronkstraf. Ons moet nie die onwettigheid, dood en vernietiging wat die oorlog in Afghanistan oor die dekades veroorsaak het, vergeet nie, sodat ons nie ons dodelike foute herhaal nie.
The U.S.-Led NATO Invasion of Afghanistan Was Illegal
Like the U.S. wars in Vietnam and Iraq, Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan was unlawful and led to the commission of torture and targeting of civilians, which constitute war crimes. All three of those wars caused the deaths of thousands — even millions — of people, cost trillions of U.S. taxpayer dollars, and devastated the countries of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Bush administration began bombing Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, less than one month after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As I Verduidelik at the time, the U.S.-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan violated the United Nations Charter, which does not permit the use of military force for retaliation. The Charter mandates that countries settle their disputes peacefully using diplomatic means. But the United States repeatedly rejected diplomatic attempts at peaceful resolution.
Op Oktober 15, 2001, Die Die Washington Post berig, “President Bush rejected an offer from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban to turn over suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden to a neutral third country yesterday as an eighth day of bombing made clear that military coercion, not diplomacy, remains the crux of U.S. policy toward the regime.”
Boonop het die Taliban-leier, Mullah Omar, aan die einde van November 2001 Hamid Karzai, wat kort daarna tussentydse president van Afghanistan geword het, genader om 'n vredesooreenkoms te beding. Die VSA het daardie ouverture verwerp. "Die Verenigde State is nie geneig om oorgawe te onderhandel nie," Donald H. Rumsfeld, minister van verdediging, gesê. Hy het bygevoeg dat die VSA nie Mullah Omar wou verlaat om sy lewe in Afghanistan uit te leef nie. Die Verenigde State wou hê dat hy gevange geneem of vermoor word.
Die Handves sê dat 'n land slegs militêre mag kan gebruik wanneer dit in selfverdediging of met toestemming van die VN se Veiligheidsraad optree. Nie een van hierdie voorwaardes was teenwoordig voordat die Verenigde State Afghanistan binnegeval het nie (of Viëtnam or Irak vir die saak).
In order to constitute lawful self-defense, an act of war must respond to an armed attack by another state. According to the Charter, the need for self-defense must be “instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation,” under the well-established Caroline Case. This bedrock principle of self-defense in international law has been affirmed by the Nuremberg Tribunal, which was conducted in 1945 to 1946 to investigate and prosecute Nazi war criminals, and the UN General Assembly.
The bombing of Afghanistan was not legitimate self-defense under the Charter because Afghanistan did not attack the United States on September 11, 2001. The 9/11 attacks were crimes against humanity, not armed attacks by another state. The hijackers were not even Afghans; 15 of the 19 men came from Saudi Arabia. Moreover, there was not an imminent threat of an armed attack on the U.S. after September 11, or the United States would not have waited nearly a month before initiating its bombing campaign.
Bush se rasionaal vir die aanval op Afghanistan was dat dit Osama bin Laden huisves en terroriste oplei, al het Bin Laden nie verantwoordelikheid vir die 9/11-aanvalle aanvaar tot 2004 nie. Bush het geëis dat die Taliban bin Laden aan die Verenigde State oorgee. Die Taliban se ambassadeur in Pakistan het gesê sy regering wil bewyse hê dat Bin Laden by die 9/11-aanvalle betrokke was voordat hy besluit of hy hom uitlewer. Daardie bewys was nie aan die kom nie, so die Taliban het nie bin Laden afgelewer nie. Bush het Afghanistan begin bombardeer.
Alhoewel die Veiligheidsraad Resolusies aangeneem het 1368 en 1373, het nie die gebruik van geweld in Afghanistan gemagtig nie. Dié resolusies het die 9/11-aanvalle veroordeel; die bevriesing van bates gelas; gekriminaliseerde terroriste-aktiwiteit; opdrag gegee om terreuraanvalle te voorkom en die nodige stappe te neem om die pleging van terroriste-aktiwiteite te voorkom, insluitend die deel van inligting; en het aangedring op die bekragtiging en afdwinging van die internasionale konvensies teen terrorisme.
Die Amerikaanse versuim om tot multilateralisme te verbind - die hoeksteen van internasionale reg in die hart van die VN-handves - is die fundamentele fout van die Amerikaanse beleid in Afghanistan.
Aangesien die Rome Statuut vir die Internasionale Strafhof eers in 2002 in werking getree het, moes die misdade teen die mensdom wat op 9/11 gepleeg is in binnelandse howe vervolg gewees het. die goed gevestigde leerstelling van universele jurisdiksie, which allows countries to prosecute foreign nationals for the most heinous of crimes. And the Security Council could have established a special tribunal for the 9/11 attacks, like it did in Yugoslavia and Rwanda. But the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan was illegal.
The Commission of War Crimes
Die onwettige inval en besetting van Afghanistan en gevolglike "oorlog teen terreur" het gelei tot die pleeg van oorlogsmisdade, insluitend marteling en die teiken van burgerlikes.
Bush se administrasie het 'n wydverspreide program van marteling en mishandeling ingestel. 'n Verslag van 2014 van die Senaat se Gekose Komitee oor Intelligensie documented the use of waterboarding, which constitutes torture, and other “enhanced interrogation techniques.” Detainees were slammed into walls; hung from the ceiling; kept in total darkness; deprived of sleep, sometimes with forced standing, for up to seven and one-half days; forced to stand on broken limbs for hours on end; threatened with mock execution; confined in a coffin-like box for 11 days; bathed in ice water and dressed in diapers.
Op 5 Maart 2020 het die Internasionale Strafhof (ICC) 'n formele ondersoek van Amerikaanse, Afghaanse en Taliban-amptenare gelas vir oorlogsmisdade, insluitend marteling, wat in die "oorlog teen terreur" gepleeg is. Die IKR-aanklaer het redelike gronde gevind om te glo dat, ingevolge 'n Amerikaanse beleid, lede van die CIA het oorlogsmisdade gepleeg. Dit het marteling en wrede behandeling ingesluit, en verontwaardiging oor persoonlike waardigheid, verkragting en ander vorme van seksuele geweld teen mense wat in aanhoudingfasiliteite in Afghanistan, Pole, Roemenië en Litaue aangehou word.
Tydens die Obama-administrasie was gevangenes wat by Guantánamo aangehou is gedwonge gevoed, wat neerkom op marteling. Obama s'n gebruik van hommeltuie om mense in sewe verskillende lande dood te maak die VN-handves en die Genève-konvensies geskend het.
Donald Trump het lugaanvalle in Irak en Sirië uitgevoer wat rekordgetalle burgerlikes doodgemaak het, ook in stryd met die VN-handves en die Genève-konvensies.
The Biden Administration Continues the Killing as It Pulls Out of Afghanistan
Terwyl Biden die onttrekking van troepe uit Afghanistan voltooi, gaan sy administrasie voort om mense daar dood te maak.
On Thursday August 26, Islamic State Khorasan (or ISIS-K) detonated a suicide bomb outside the Kabul airport. As many as 170 civilians and 13 U.S. service members were killed. BBC verslaggewer Secunder Kermani aangehaal ooggetuies wat gesê het dat 'n aansienlike aantal van die gedood is deur Amerikaanse troepe geskiet "in die paniek ná die ontploffing." Inderdaad, Die New York Times berig dat Pentagon-amptenare erken “dat sommige mense wat Donderdag buite die lughawe dood is, moontlik deur Amerikaanse dienslede geskiet is ná die selfmoordbomaanval.”
Nevertheless, on August 27, Biden het vergeld met 'n hommeltuigaanval wat blykbaar "'n ISIS-K-beplanner" doodgemaak het, alhoewel "daar tot dusver geen bewyse was dat hy Donderdag by die selfmoordbomaanval naby die lughawe betrokke was nie." Die Amerikaanse sentrale bevel het 'n verklaring vrygestel wat gesê het: "Ons weet van geen burgerlike ongevalle nie” van die Amerikaanse hommeltuigaanval. Maar volgens The Guardian, 'n ouderling in Jalalabad het dit berig drie burgerlikes is dood en vier is beseer in die Amerikaanse hommeltuigaanval.
On August 27, the United Nations Security Council issued 'n persverklaring affirming that “all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances, including those related to the protection of civilians.” The Council stated that “any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.” Moreover, the Council “reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law . . . threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”
Nonetheless, on August 29, Biden launched nog 'n hommeltuigaanval against suspected members of ISIS-K, blowing up a vehicle apparently containing explosives. The Central Command did not know whether the strike caused civilian casualties, calling the attack “a self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul.”
Biden se administrasie het onderneem om op te tree "oor-die-horison"-operasies in Afghanistan. Die VSA beplan om terreurdreigemente met toesig te monitor en lugaanvalle van buite Afghanistan se grense uit te voer, veral in die Persiese Golf. Maar soos die Veiligheidsraad gesê het, het alle lande 'n wetlike plig om aan internasionale reg te voldoen.
Die Verenigde State moet heeltemal daarvan weerhou om militêre mag in Afghanistan te gebruik. As Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Kalifornië) gesê, “die antwoord kan nie meer oorlog en geweld wees nie. Die antwoord kan nie meer ondoeltreffende en ontoerekeningsvatbare teenterrorisme-operasies wees nie.” Jacobs het bygevoeg dat die Verenigde State “dit [is] aan almal wat hul lewens verloor het, verskuldig om nie dieselfde foute te begaan nie” wat hulle byna 20 jaar gelede ná die aanvalle op 11 September gemaak het.
ZNetwork word uitsluitlik befonds deur die vrygewigheid van sy lesers.
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