New report finds 5,135 casualties in Afghanistan associated with reconstruction
This total includes 2,214 killed and 2,921 wounded. It also identified 1,182 individuals that were kidnapped or missing.
By IAR Desk
A new report has unveiled the human cost of reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. At leaset 5,135 casualties have been repoted in Afghanistan associated with reconstruction or stabilization missions between 2002 to 2018.
The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has come out with a new report on the Human Cost of Reconstruction in Afghanistan. For years, SIGAR has spent considerable effort to track the financial costs of reconstruction and stabilization activities in Afghanistan. However, this is the first time that it has compiled data to track the human costs – the number of people killed, wounded, or kidnapped – to accomplish these activities. This, it is thought would provide the true cost of US reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.
This report is, according to SIGAR, the first official government effort by an independent Inspector General to do so. To provide the most comprehensive estimate as to the number of casualties that occurred on reconstruction and stabilization-related missions, it reviewed multiple casualty-related sources, including information provided by the Departments of Defense, State, and Labor, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and numerous other government and official documents and data bases.
For this review, SIGAR counted a casualty as reconstruction- or stabilization-related in case if the casualty’s primary mission at the time was specifically related to conducting reconstruction or stabilization activities; or if the casualty was a bystander at the site of these activities. SIGAR has identified 5,135 casualties in Afghanistan associated with reconstruction or stabilization missions, from then-President Bush’s formal announcement of the beginning of our reconstruction mission in Afghanistan on April 17, 2002 to December 31, 2018. This total includes 2,214 killed and 2,921 wounded. It also identified 1,182 individuals that were kidnapped or missing. At least 284 Americans were killed in Afghanistan while performing reconstruction or stabilization missions. This includes 216 U.S. service members and 68 U.S. civilians (government employees, contractors, and those with unknown statuses). An additional 245 service members and 76 civilians were wounded. 100 other Coalition service members were killed and 105 wounded; An additional 124 third country nationals (TCNs) were killed, another 87 wounded and 59 kidnapped; and, 1,578 Afghans (local nationals) were killed, 2,246 were wounded, and 1,004 kidnapped.
These casualty figures do not include casualties that occurred during combat and counter-terrorism missions, such as patrols, raids, and ambushes; casualties that occurred during combat support missions unrelated to reconstruction; military and civilian logistics resupply missions unless the casualty occurred during missions where the convoys were specifically carrying reconstruction materials; enemy attacks on Afghan government or military sites; casualties that occurred from accidents; suicides or homicides; deaths from natural causes; enemy casualties, including suicide bombers; attacks at locations unrelated to reconstruction activities such as private homes, businesses, bazaars, banks, mosques or other public gathering places; casualties that occurred before April 17, 2002 and after December 31, 2018.
