Mullah Omar Orders Subordinates to Kill Afghans

International Security Assistance Force HQ Public Affairs

07.17.2010  KABUL, Afghanistan – International Security Assistance Forces intercepted orders from Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Omar at the beginning of June 2010 ordering his fighters kill Afghans.

This order is in direct contradiction to his instructions last year urging his followers to minimize civilian casualties in an attempt to compete with the ISAF population-centric tactical directives.

Omar’s latest instructions included five orders to his subordinate commanders:

1) Fight coalition forces to the death without withdrawing or surrendering; attempt to capture coalition forces whenever possible.

2) Capture and kill any Afghan who is supporting and/or working for coalition forces or the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

3) Capture and kill any Afghan women who are helping or providing information to coalition forces.

4) Recruit anyone that has access to coalition force bases and have the ability to collect detailed information about coalition forces.

5) Purchase or obtain more heavy weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.

“This proves the Taliban are willing to ignore their own Code of Conduct when they sense they are losing influence and control,” said Brigadier General Josef Blotz, ISAF Spokesperson. “As today’s attack against several Afghan civilians were killed and injured by a suicide attack in a residential area in Kabul today demonstrates.”

Recent insurgent-caused civilian casualty data, released by the independent Afghan Rights Monitor, estimate insurgent actions have caused 1,074 civilian deaths since January 2010, with 188 of those occurring since the release of Omar’s order. These statistics may indicate insurgent forces have received and are complying with the new order.