US-led hospital raids rise in Afghanistan
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:27PM GMT
Opposition is growing against attacks on Afghanistan's medical centers by US-led foreign forces and Afghan troops working with them.
An Alliance of Health Organizations (AHO) says it has been receiving reports that health centers across Afghanistan have been frequently raided by US-led forces.
The alliance has demanded Afghan forces and foreign troops to immediately halt storming medical facilities in the war-torn country.
This comes after the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said NATO forces stormed into its clinic in the central Wardak province, took over the building and used it as a jail and military command center.
Following the attack that took place in October 2012, Andreas Stefansson, an SCA director, issued a statement saying that the NATO attack on the clinic was a “totally unacceptable breach against all established rules.”
“Most NGOs who deliver healthcare in this country experience this almost on a monthly basis; that there are breaches in different provinces,” Stefansson added.
Since then, US-led troops have reportedly invaded Afghanistan's hospital buildings for several times.
According to the Geneva Conventions, medical personnel together with fixed and mobile medical units should be respected by all warring parties, and should not be attacked under any condition.
The US-led war in Afghanistan began in October 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country despite the presence of about 100,000 foreign forces.
PM/MAM/PKH
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