It remains unclear on the basis of which latest information Dutch soldiers bombed an Afghan house during the Battle of Chora, which killed civilians. Four relatives want clarification because they believe that the Dutch used ‘blind violence’.
The armed forces have dived into the archives in recent months, but no concrete, new information has come out about the decision-making in the last hours before the bombs fell on the Afghan house at night, a hearing on Friday showed. During the day, the house was classified as a military target because Dutch soldiers were fired from there.
According to the Ministry of Defense, it is very likely that the latest intelligence came in shortly before the bombing, such as intercepted conversations or probed communications from Taliban fighters. It just hasn’t been found yet, and if it’s there, it shouldn’t be released because it’s a state secret. ,,But it can hardly be otherwise, because it is really not just written down that a complex is a combat position. What purpose would that serve?” said the lawyer of the Dutch state before the judge.
It also remains unclear when exactly the decision was taken to bomb this house. No list has been found on which this house stood to be under fire. The Ministry of Defense points out that fifteen years later it is very easy to see exactly how the decision-making process went down to the millimeter. “But we have to realize how precarious the situation there was at the time.”
For the armed forces there is no doubt that the bombed house was a combat position for the Taliban. On the morning of June 16, 2007, Dutchmen were attacked from the direction of this complex. That is why seven bombs were dropped on the complex during the night, resulting in civilian deaths.
The bombing was part of a larger offensive on the night of 16-17 June 2007 to prevent Chora from falling into the hands of Taliban fighters. The Dutch received signals that hundreds of fighters were planning an attack on 17 June and wanted to take the area. Artillery was then fired and a total of more than fifty bombs were dropped on military targets.
The bombed-out house was on the front lines, at a key junction in a valley and along a dry riverbed used for troop landings, according to the Defense Department. There was also information that Taliban leaders had entrenched themselves here.
Four relatives of the civilians who died believe that the bombing was illegal. According to their lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, the armed forces did not have the information in order and this house was therefore never allowed to be bombed. “There are no more than a few daytime sightings of the combat position that we have to deal with. I strongly suspect that preventive action was taken here in order to better protect the area. This house was very strategic,” she told the judges.
According to the Dutch state, the house was a military target. Residents were also warned to leave the area. “The Dutch military has fought an enemy who did not shy away from using extreme force. The situation was precarious, but the military managed to keep Chora. In this safe courtroom it is difficult to speculate what we would have done in that situation,” said one of the state’s lawyers.
The court will rule on November 11.
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