New report sheds light on child victims of British military in Afghanistan
Middle East MonitorNov 09, 2022
The British Army paid compensation to the relatives of 64 children killed over nine years of military action in Afghanistan, according to the publication of a new investigation on Wednesday.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) — a London-based advocacy and research group — reportedly discovered the information through freedom of information requests. The figure is four times higher than UK forces had previously acknowledged.
These revelations should give pause for thought. Modern war will always bring civilian casualties, but this report sheds light on the often-forgotten child fatalities and sends a warning to Westminster politicians about the realities of conflict.
It's not enough to only avoid conflict; there also needs to be more transparency and accountability in investigating these types of incidents. In contrast to the UK, US Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin recently ordered a major review of how the Pentagon investigates civilian casualties. Britain must follow this example and direct more resources toward the mitigation of harm to civilians.