Afghan Army’s Extrajudicial Killings Could Force End to US Aid

US Not Supposed to Send Military Aid to Human Rights Violators

13 years of US occupation and intense training has rubbed off on the Afghan military, and not in the good way like you’d want.

The Afghan military is under increasing criticism for its extrajudicial killings, both killing people under dubious circumstances across Afghanistan and refusing to carry out credible investigations into such killings.

The problem could quickly become a financial one, as under US law the administration is not supposed to be able to send military aid to nations with militaries that violate human rights.

Though the law is pretty clear on the matter, the administration has often spurned the ban and continued to send aid anyhow, claiming it gives them more influence to try to get the violators in line. With the Afghan military built in America, that excuse isn’t going to fly.

Officials are trying to downplay the situation, saying that the Afghan military simply hasn’t matured to the point of having a good investigation system. Since the US has similarly had trouble with extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan, it could be that they’re following the lessons they were taught.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.