Frank Donaghue of Physicians for Human Rights writes:
Last week McClatchy Newspapers reported that mass graves at Dasht-e-Leili in Northern Afghanistan, first discovered by PHR researchers in January 2002, have been destroyed. According to witnesses, the remains buried there are of prisoners who surrendered to Northern Alliance and US forces in November 2001, following the fall of the city of Kunduz. The victims of the Dasht-e-Leili massacre allegedly died from suffocation inside cargo containers.
Experts from PHR’s International Forensic Program examined the site for the UN in 2002. Since then, PHR has advocated for the mass graves to be protected, for the Afghan Government, with the UN’s support, to launch a full investigation, and for the Bush Administration and Congress to conduct a public inquiry into this potential war crime.
With these new revelations of alleged destruction of war crimes evidence in Afghanistan—which is itself a war crime—PHR is again the leading voice calling for NATO to support Afghan forces in protecting the site, and for Afghan, US, and UN officials to launch a comprehensive investigation.
Our investigation of war crimes at Dasht-e-Leili continues, with more developments yet to come. We’ve set up an online clearinghouse, where you can find more background information and follow our updates on the changing situation: