Getting away with murder? The impunity of international forces in Afghanistan

Getting away with murder? The impunity of international forces in Afghanistan

Millions of Afghans face violence and insecurity worse than at any period since 2001. The first part of this Briefing Paper focuses on one particular incident: the night time killing of two brothers by international forces, on 16 January 2008. The confusion regarding which international forces are doing what in Afghanistan is the focus of the second part of this Briefing Paper. Forces from the more than 40 countries with UN-sanctioned troops in Afghanistan operate with a variety of mandates, chains of command, rules of engagement, and degrees of respect for the rule of law.