WASHINGTON - May 24 - Following reports of dozens of civilians killed in the crossfire between U.S. and Taliban forces in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province, the Campaign for Innocent Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) today expressed sympathy for the victims and urged the U.S. government to aid surviving family members.

The past week marks the most intense fighting between U.S. and Taliban fighters since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, and has cost dozens of civilian lives. U.S. officials on the ground in Afghanistan have two mechanisms to help civilians injured and the family members of those killed as a result of U.S. ground and air raids. In 2003, the Congress established the Leahy War Victims Fund and has since appropriated some $14 million to help civilian victims of war in Afghanistan. The U.S. military also maintains a mechanism to directly compensate family members suffering losses from U.S. operations. Today CIVIC urged assistance through to Leahy Fund and military compensation for surviving family members of the Kandahar raids.

“We are concerned that increased U.S. and NATO operations coupled with resistance from Taliban fighters will continue to devastate civilians trying to go about their daily lives” said Sarah Holewinski, executive director of CIVIC. “Already dozens have been killed in the crossfire. We have a responsibility to help the victims and their loved ones.”

The U.S. government does not keep an official count of civilian casualties in conflict. With increased U.S. and NATO operations working to shut down the Taliban in Afghanistan, a record of incidents that harm civilians should be maintained so that efforts to prevent these casualties can be evaluated and improved. “Keeping as accurate a record as possible and compensating victims is important for the U.S. to maintain the respect and support of the Afghani people as it,” said Holewinski.

CIVIC is a Washington-based organization founded by the late Marla Ruzicka, a passionate humanitarian killed by a suicide bomb in Baghdad while advocating for war victims in Iraq. CIVIC believes that civilians injured and the families of those killed should be recognized and aided by the governments involved, and is working toward smart, compassionate policies for civilians caught in the crossfire of conflict.

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