What our media are not reporting about the Taliban

A topic at Milnet.ca on a report by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission that seems to have been generally overlooked (emphasis in orginal at link; scroll down link for more details):

AFG Rights Group: "Taliban .... targeting civilians intentionally"

Since MSM are focussing on this report (.pdf) for the moment, here's what the same human rights group had to say about the bad guys (.pdf) - highlights mine...

"Insurgent Abuses against Afghan Civilians"
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ordinary citizens increasingly feel the impact of Afghanistan’s ongoing armed conflict. Both Anti government elements (AGEs) and other parties involved in the conflict are responsible for violence that affects the civilian population. This report documents how, in their attempts to weaken the Afghan Government, the Taliban and other AGEs are systematically terrorizing the civilian population with “night letters,” kidnappings, executions (often by beheading) and other crimes.

In their campaign to undermine support for the Government the Taliban fail to differentiate between military objectives and civilians, targeting civilians intentionally. Their targets include doctors, teachers, students, tribe elders, Ulema Council members, civilian government employees, suppliers and day laborers of public-interest reconstruction projects as well as former police and military personnel. For instance, the simple act of being a civil servant or being friendly with government officials is frequently seen as enough to justify an attack. In an attempt to further weaken public support for the government, insurgents have also targeted schools, medical services, humanitarian aid and commercial supply lines. These attacks have a severe impact far beyond their immediate victims and the effects of these abuses on Afghan society as a whole will be described, with a focus on the specific areas of social economy, education and health care.

This report focuses on serious violations of Islamic principles, domestic and international law caused by the Taliban from 2006 to mid 2008. The actions documented are in direct contravention to Islamic Shari’a, Afghan domestic and international law. All three sources provide clear strictures about the protection of civilians during armed conflict, which are set out in the report. A panel of respected Islamic scholars has provided a religious interpretation of these breaches, using the principles of Islamic Shari’a. While the Taliban claim to observe Islamic principles, which they consider above the strictures of domestic and international humanitarian law, this claim will be largely disproved.

Alerted by reports from around the country, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) conducted a detailed investigation into the allegations of a campaign of terror carried out by insurgents. The team interviewed over 100 victims and witnesses, tribal elders, community representatives and local government officials on the ground, in order to gain an authentic and exact image of abuses against civilians perpetrated by AGEs. The information gathered by AIHRC includes testimonies from the most insecure regions of the country including as the east, south and southeast.

Beyond its specifically informative content, AIHRC makes clear recommendations to all parties in the armed conflict in Afghanistan at the end of this report.

Tony Prudori
MILNEWS.ca - Military News for Canadians
News - http://milnews.ca
tony@milnews.ca

Update: Just what one might expect from the Globe and Mail:

Report slams tactic of night raids on Afghan homes
...
The AIHRC also released a report Tuesday on Taliban atrocities, describing the insurgents as inflicting more harm on civilians than the pro-government forces [that short para is buried almost at the end of the story, natch]...

But good on the Ottawa Citizen (sort of):

Group blasts Taliban for rising death toll among Afghan civilians

Commander defends Canadian 'track record' after rights commission also blames soldiers for deaths

...coalition forces, including Canada's contribution of more than 2,500 soldiers, were also blamed for the rise in the civilian death toll, noting airstrikes have been the primary cause of the increase...

In other words, it's not the Canadian soldiers directly causing some civilian deaths, but rather airstrikes they may call in. Meanwhile, the headline and end of a CTV story; focused on the bad news but with a decent headline:

Air strikes, night raids a 'last resort' in Afghanistan
...
A second commission report -- also released Tuesday -- claims there have also been a litany of Taliban abuses. They include kidnappings and executions against Afghan civilians.

"Attacks against government civilian officials and institutions have increasingly chipped away at the government's ability to provide services to hundreds and thousands of people," the report on the insurgency says.

"It is often the poorest people of Afghanistan who are being threatened, kidnapped, and executed because they work on government or international construction or development projects."