Information on whether the various Mujahedin groups target civilians who are not involved in the fighting, or whether the violence is mainly confined to Mujahedin groups fighting against each other [AFG19868.E]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994 states:

in 1994 an estimated 8,000 Afghans died in Kabul as a result of the civil war. Most were civilian victims of artillery, rocket, or air strikes launched by forces aligned with Hekmatyar or Rabbani. In many cases civilian deaths were incidental to the military actions of the belligerents, but in some cases combatants purposefully targeted civilian areas (1995, n.p.).

According to Amnesty International Report 1994,

[d]eliberate and indiscriminate bombings of homes, hospitals and mosques in Kabul left hundreds of people dead and thousands injured, among them children. Members of particular ethnic and religious groups were frequently targeted by various groups (1994, 52).

The report adds that civilians were

reportedly also targeted in attacks in the provinces; dozens of women and children were said to have been deliberately killed by forces of the Jamiat-e-Islami and the Hesb-e-Islami in Argandab near Kandahar in August (ibid.).

A 1994 Amnesty International news release refers to the "daily killing of dozens of unarmed civilians in jet bombings, artillery mortar attacks and machine gun battles" in Afghanistan (28 Oct. 1994). The news release adds that, as a result, some 12,000 civilians were killed between April 1992 and October 1994 (ibid.).

Another Amnesty International news release provides information on the ill-treatment of civilians by various Afghan Mujahedin groups, including the murder of male civilians and rape of women and children (15 Dec. 1994).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this information request.

References


Amnesty International. 15 December 1994. "Afghanistan: Amnesty International Condemns International Community for Ignoring Conflict in Afghanistan." (AI Index: ASA 11/WU 07/94). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 28 October 1994. "Afghanistan: 12,00 People Killed Since April 1992 While the International Community Has Kept Quiet." (AI Index: ASA 11/WU 06/94). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 1994. Amnesty International Report 1994. New York: Amnesty International USA.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. (electronic version received from Resource Info Centre, INS, US)

Attachments

Amnesty International. 15 December 1994. "Afghanistan: Amnesty International Condemns International Community for Ignoring Conflict in Afghanistan." (AI Index: ASA 11/WU 07/94). London: Amnesty International.

_____. 28 October 1994. "Afghanistan: 12,00 People Killed Since April 1992 While the International Community Has Kept Quiet." (AI Index: ASA 11/WU 06/94). London: Amnesty International.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. (electronic version received from Resource Info Centre, INS, US)