WASHINGTON - January 4 - Following yesterday’s acknowledgement by NATO that 2006 military operations killed too many civilians in Afghanistan, the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) today called on the multinational force to go further to aid those civilians harmed.

“When innocent people are harmed by military operations and when President Karzai repeatedly pleas for the lives of his citizens, it is time for NATO to do the right thing,” said CIVIC’s executive director Sarah Holewinski. “NATO must dignify the suffering of the Afghan people with aid to help them rebuild their lives.”

The Associated Press yesterday quoted Brig. Richard E. Nugee, chief spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan, as saying, "The single thing that we have done wrong and we are striving extremely hard to improve on (in 2007) is killing innocent civilians.” According to media reports, NATO forces have killed dozens of civilians last year as they battled the Taliban. CIVIC noted NATO’s lack of any official program to help those civilians harmed in those operations. “NATO officials deserve credit for taking a critical look at their procedures and working to reduce civilian deaths,” said Holewinski. “Now, they must help where they’ve hurt.”

CIVIC cited US programs in Afghanistan that compensate and aid war victims as an example of what NATO now must do to foster goodwill and mitigate resentment among Afghans. The Leahy Initiative named for Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and administered through USAID has appropriated $3 million this year to help rebuild communities harmed by Coalition actions. The U.S. military also makes condolence payments to families suffering losses from its operations. CIVIC today called on NATO countries to establish a common Trust Fund to both compensate surviving family members of its operations suffering losses and provide aid to communities trying to rebuild after the smoke has cleared.

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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