FORWARD OPERATING BASE RAMROD, Afghanistan – NATO commanders are weighing a new way to reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan: recognizing soldiers for “courageous restraint” if they avoid using force that could endanger innocent lives. The concept comes as the coalition continues to struggle with the problem of civilian casualties despite repeated warnings from the top NATO commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, that the war effort hinges on the ability to protect the population and win support away from the Taliban. Those who back the idea hope it will provide soldiers with another incentive to think twice before calling in an airstrike or firing at an approaching vehicle if civilians could be at risk. Most military awards in the past have been given for things like soldiers taking out a machine gun nest or saving their buddies in a firefight, said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall, the senior NATO enlisted man in Afghanistan. “We are now considering how we look at awards differently,” he said. British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, the NATO commander of troops in southern Afghanistan, proposed the idea of awarding soldiers for “courageous restraint” during a visit by Hall to Kandahar Airfield in mid April. McChrystal is now reviewing the proposal to determine how it could be implemented, Hall said. Hall's visit came less than a week after U.S. troops fired on a civilian bus near Kandahar City, killing four people and wounding more than a dozen. Hundreds of Afghans protested the attack, chanting “Death to America,” and President Hamid Karzai accused NATO of violating its commitment to safeguard civilians. McChrystal issued strict guidelines last year limiting the use of force in an effort to reduce civilian casualties and curb public anger. The percentage of civilian deaths attributed to NATO and Afghan forces fell as a result, according to the United Nations. But even sporadic incidents can damage the coalition's efforts, and the problem could get worse as thousands of additional NATO troops pour into the country ahead of this summer's planned offensive in the Taliban's spiritual heartland of Kandahar province. There were 173 civilian deaths in Afghanistan from March 21 to April 21, a 33 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the Interior Ministry. The ministry did not provide a breakdown of who was responsible for the fatalities, but the Taliban often blame coalition forces regardless of the cause.
