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Shootings of Afghans on rise at checkpoints
Shootings of Afghan civilians by American and NATO convoys and at military checkpoints have spiked sharply this year, becoming the leading cause of combined civilian deaths and injuries at the hands of Western forces, American officials say.
The steep rise in these convoy and checkpoint attacks–which the military calls "escalation of force incidents"–has prompted military commanders to issue new troop guidelines in recent weeks that include soliciting local Afghan village and tribal elders and other leaders for help preventing convoy and checkpoint shootings.
These shootings are a major reason civilian casualties in Afghanistan are soaring after a much-publicized period of decline.
Such episodes "have taken the lead" in civilian casualties caused by Western forces, said Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, the day-to-day operational commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. "We've really got to figure out how to solve that problem, and it's really a challenge to the leadership. It's a challenge to discipline."
Civilian deaths from aerial bombings have declined, General Rodriguez said. But in convoys and at checkpoints, "you're faced with a different challenge of snap decisions" by troops "much closer to not only the people but the enemy."