By Rod Nickel and Abdul Qadir Sediqi
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. air strikes on alleged Taliban drug labs in Afghanistan in May killed or wounded at least 39 civilians, including 14 children, and violated international humanitarian law as the victims were non-combatants, a United Nations report said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) issued a statement rejecting the UN report and maintained that there were no casualties.
Air strikes on May 5 hit more than 60 sites in the western provinces of Farah and Nimroz, bordering Iran, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UN Human Rights Office said in a joint report.
Aside from the 39 confirmed casualties, it said U.N. investigators were working to verify credible reports of at least 37 additional civilian casualties, mostly women and children.
"UNAMA has assessed that the personnel working inside the
drug production facilities were not performing combat functions. They were therefore entitled to protection from attack, and could only have lost this protection if, and for such time, as they had been directly participating in hostilities," the report said.
Since late 2017, U.S. forces have attacked sites believed to be used for processing drugs as part of efforts to cut off funds to the Taliban militant group.
Facilities that help fund parties who are involved in war are considered civilian objectives under international humanitarian law, and thus drug labs and their workers are unlawful targets, the report concluded.
The statement by the U.S. forces disputed the reports findings, and the legal analysis and methodology used by the UN.
Assessments conducted by U.S. forces and Afghans conducted after the strikes determined there were no deaths or injuries to civilians, U.S. Forces said.
"USFOR – A is fighting in a complex environment against those who intentionally kill and hide behind civilians, as well as use dishonest claims of non-combatant casualties as propaganda weapons," the statement said. "USFOR–A took extraordinary measures to avoid the deaths or injuries of non-combatants."
The prevention of civilian casualties is a priority, but when they happen, they are due to the Taliban sheltering among civilians, said Rohullah Ahmadzai, a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry, adding he was not speaking about this specific situation.