US President Barack Obama ordered a probe into allegations of mass murder of Taliban fighters by US-backed forces in Afghanistan in November 2001. The issue was highlighted by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), who welcomed Mr. Obama’s decision. According to the PHR, as many as 2,000 surrendered Taliban fighters were reportedly suffocated in container trucks by Afghan forces operating jointly with the US in November 2001 and their bodies buried in mass graves in the Dasht-i-Leili desert near Shiberghan1.

After meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister on July 14, Obama stated that bringing stability to Afghanistan was the responsibility of the entire global fraternity and not of the United States alone2.

The UN Security Council on July 15 urged that the forthcoming poll in Afghanistan should be free, fair and credible. The UNSC statement was read by its current president, Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda3.

President Karzai meanwhile stated that the deployment of greater numbers of foreign troops was not an ideal solution to deal with the extremists. He called for the development of a new strategy for defeating the Taliban, including possible talks with its leader Mullah Omar4.

Casualty figures of coalition forces rose sharply in the month of July. Since July 1, at least 48 coalition troops, including 24 Americans, have been killed. 46 soldiers lost their lives in the previous month as well as in August 2008, the deadliest months for coalition forces till now5.

In other developments, the Taliban released video of a captured US soldier. The soldier was reportedly captured on July 2, the first such instance of a US soldier being captured in Iraq or Afghanistan in more than 2 years6.

• 1. “Obama for probe into Taliban massacre,” Pajhwok Afghan News, July 13, 2009, at http://www.pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=77762
• 2. “Stabilising Afghanistan is a global responsibility: Obama,” July 14, 2009, at http://www.pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=77911
• 3. “UNSC calls for transparent polls,” Pajhwok Afghan News, July 16, 2009, at http://www.pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=77990
• 4. “Karzai seeks negotiations with Taliban,” Indian Express, July 19, 2009, at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Karzai-seeks-negotiations-with-Taliban...
• 5. “Deadliest Month Yet in Afghanistan Claims Lives of Three Area Marines,” The Washington Post, July 18, 2009, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR200907...
• 6. “Taliban release video of captured US soldier,” The Telegraph, July 19, 2009, at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5861163/Talib...