Hearts and minds

last updated 8 January 2015

Miya Nishin, Afghanistan

NATO forces battling the Taliban are not doing enough to avoid killing civilians, an umbrella group of Afghan and foreign aid agencies said this week. NATO and Afghan forces have killed at least 230 civilians so far this year, including 60 women and children. “Excessive use of force and abusive raids and searches are undermining support, not just for foreign and Afghan militaries, but those involved in humanitarian and development work,” the Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief said. Dozens of civilians died this week in a battle in Kandahar province, where the Taliban took over an entire district in its biggest offensive this year. Coalition warplanes last week bombed an insurgent compound that also contained an Islamic school, killing seven boys.