Gen. Bantz Craddock,
Last year, security conditions in Afghanistan reached their worst levels since 2001. Civilians are being caught in the crossfire of increasing military operations. In addition causing the loss of life, destroying property and leading to aggressive and improper treatment of women, these operations are displacing people from their homes and disrupting health and education services.
As the head of NATO military operations in Afghanistan, we urge you to take decisive actions to address these problems, including:
* Protecting civilians, especially vulnerable women and children, from military operations;
* Establishing unified mechanisms to compensate civilians for damage caused by military operations; and
* Requiring rigorous compliance with international humanitarian laws and human rights obligations
Thank you for your commitment to paving a brighter future for Afghanistan’s civilians.
