Afghan President Ashraf Ghani should denounce remarks by the chief of the army offering soldiers protection from punishment for war crimes, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
Ghani, who is commander-in-chief of the Afghan armed forces, should recommit the country's security forces to respect the laws of war and put commanders on notice that suggesting otherwise will subject them to disciplinary measures.
The June 14 statement by Afghanistan's army chief suggesting that the laws of armed conflict do not apply to government troops is just the latest in a series of such statements by senior Afghan military and civilian officials, Human Rights Watch said.
Disavowing the laws of war encourages abuses by all parties to the conflict and places civilians at greater risk of harm.
"President Ghani should state clearly that abiding by the laws of war is a legal requirement, not a policy option," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Commanders who reject the laws of war not only unnecessarily risk the lives of civilians and their own troops, but also make themselves subject to prosecution for war crimes."
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Foreign donors who fund Afghan military operations have yet to publicly criticize statements by senior Afghan officials advocating possible war crimes, Human Rights Watch said. Afghanistan's international donors, particularly the United States, have spent more than a decade and billions of dollars to underwrite and train Afghan security forces.
On January 1, NATO launched its Resolute Support mission, which will provide advice and assistance to Afghan military at least until the end of 2015. In March, the US pledged to continue providing approximately USD 4 billion annually for the Afghan military until the end of 2017.
"Foreign donors assisting the Afghan military should make it clear that their support depends on minimizing harm to civilians and holding violators to account," Kine said. "Afghanistan's donors need to press the military to end abuses or they may find themselves complicit in future atrocities.
