Chinese Foreign Ministry Emphasizes US Military's Civilian Massacre as War Crime, Calls for Legal Judgment
At Least 47,245 Innocent Civilians Killed in Afghan War
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized the United States, urging an investigation into the US military's war crimes against Afghan civilians.
According to Chinese media including the state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 2nd, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing held the previous day, "The massacre of civilians committed by the US military and its allies in Afghanistan over the past 20 years is a crime," and added, "An investigation into the civilian massacre must be conducted, and the perpetrators must face legal judgment."
Xinhua News Agency reported that civilian casualties occurred due to US military airstrikes against the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), and that civilian casualties increased further due to US military gunfire after the airstrikes.
In this regard, spokesperson Wang stated, "Ten civilians were killed by US drone strikes," noting that among the deceased was a 2-year-old child.
He continued, "In 2002, over 100 civilians at a wedding banquet were killed or injured by US airstrikes, and in 2010, at least 33 civilians were killed by NATO airstrikes," he explained.
He claimed that as of April last year, at least 47,245 civilians had been killed by the US military, including Afghan farmers killed in drone strikes in 2019. Spokesperson Wang raised his voice, saying, "A clear investigation into the civilian massacres committed by the US military in Afghanistan over the past 20 years is necessary, and the perpetrators must be punished."
Global Times also supported the claims of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In an article titled "Crimes of the US Military and Its Allies Against Afghan Civilians," Global Times reported that the lives and rights of Afghan people must be protected and that the United States must take responsibility for the US military's civilian massacres.
Global Times quoted the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson saying that the United States threatens international justice, the rule of law, and global human rights, emphasizing that the US military massacred innocent civilians during the 20-year Afghanistan war.
Chinese media have been continuously criticizing the Biden US administration through the voices of government-affiliated scholars.
Professor Zhu Yongbiao of the Afghanistan Research Center at Lanzhou University said, "For 20 years, the United States has turned Afghanistan into a testing ground for 'American-style democracy,'" and criticized, "The US did not go to war to help build the Afghan state but entered Afghanistan to avenge terrorist attacks." He added, "The US has left only chaos and destruction in Afghanistan."
Professor Zhu Weile of the Middle East Research Institute at Shanghai International Studies University said, "The withdrawal from Afghanistan signifies the failure of US security policy," and added, "The international community has realized how incompetent the United States is."
Professor Wang Jin of the Middle East Studies Institute at Xibei University argued, "The United States needs thorough reflection and introspection on its interference in regional conflicts," and claimed, "It should show an inclusive attitude toward the Afghan Taliban."
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