Military "Hearts and Minds" Operations Placing Ordinary Afghans and Aid Workers at Risk, Confirms New Report

KABUL, Afghanistan (November 28, 2008) - Quick-fix aid projects by the military in Afghanistan are placing recipient communities and aid workers in danger of insurgent attacks, warned the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG) and the European Network of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Afghanistan (ENNA) today. In some districts, NGOs have been forced to downscale their operations or withdraw entirely as their staff, projects and beneficiaries come under attack, leaving hundreds of thousands of Afghans without aid.

Aid and civil-military relations in Afghanistan found that the military's use of aid, such as building schools and health clinics, to "win hearts and minds" is in some cases counter-productive, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to attack by insurgents for perceived collaboration with the military. The practice by donor countries of targeting more aid to provinces where their troops are stationed has further heightened the belief that aid-giving is a partisan act.

"Individuals and communities perceived as collaborating with the international military risk being targeted by insurgents. For this reason, the military should be much more sensitive to the impact of its operations on civilian agencies and Afghan communities" said Lex Kassenberg, country director for CARE International in Afghanistan.

The report gathered Afghan perceptions of security and development from extensive field research in the provinces of Paktia and Uruzgan. This raised serious concerns over the quality of projects implemented under the military's 'hearts and minds' strategy, and its failure to tally with people's real needs. According to one tribal leader interviewed in the report, "We really do not need somebody to distribute biscuits to us and we do not need construction projects that fall down after a year."

The targeting of aid workers by insurgent forces is worse than ever. In 2007, 15 aid workers were killed. But, already in 2008, 30 aid workers have been killed and 92 abducted. The subsequent downscaling of NGO activities has left some 300,000 students denied access to education and 360,000 people access to health assistance.

"Parts of Afghanistan now face a serious hunger crisis. Elsewhere, peoples' livelihoods and hopes of development are undermined by insecurity. At the same time, aid agencies are increasingly under attack. We call on all sides of the conflict to respect the right of Afghan communities to aid that is neutral, impartial and independent of the fighting," said Abdul Basir, Project Manager of BAAG.

One of the report's most striking findings is the emphasis that informants place on tackling the political grievances and conflicts which drive the violence in Afghanistan. From Afghan village elders to senior international policy-makers, there is a consistent message that 'hearts and minds' cannot be bought. Instead, much greater emphasis must be placed on addressing conflict between power holders at local and national levels, and challenging the country's 'rule of impunity'.