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Issue 12: October - November 2001

A buffer zone for Afghan refugees

The war may be inevitable, but a refugee crisis isn’t.

The coming war with the Taleban regime may be inevitable, but the ensuing refugee crisis is not. Afghans are fleeing their homes in droves, but they have nowhere to go for protection. All six countries bordering Afghanistan have closed their borders, understandably worried by the prospect that tens of thousands of refugees will flood their countries.  Some 3.7 million Afghan refugees are already living in neighboring countries – 1.5 million in Iran, and more than 2 million in Pakistan.

Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations are calling for neighboring countries to reopen their borders to refugees from Afghanistan. This would be ideal. But if borders remain sealed, there will be an urgent need for buffer zones along the border regions of Afghan territory. These zones should be internally administered by the United Nations to provide some international legitimacy.  Islamic states opposed to terrorism should be part of this U.N. effort.

Unlike so-called “safe havens” in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Iraq, these buffer zones should be secured from attack with adequate military protection. Only the U.S.-led coalition of invading powers can provide such protection.  The cost for these buffer zones should also be borne by the US and its allies to show their commitment to avoiding “collateral damage”. The material cost of these buffer zones will far outweigh the moral cost of contributing to a humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands, if not millions, of starving refugees.

Most important, these zones would serve to minimize civilian casualties. The US-led coalition could give Afghans advance warning of the military response to the terrorist attacks, and urge all non-combatant Afghans to make their way to UN-administered buffer zones along the border regions. The refugees would be disarmed at the gate to ensure security. The war against terrorism could then proceed as planned. After the terrorists have been “smoked out”, the buffer zones would close and the refugees would be free to return to their homes.

The buffer zones would also give weight to the claim that the war is directed at terrorists and their backers, not at Islam or the Afghan people. No matter the rhetoric, the war will be perceived as a “clash of civilizations” if it leads to many deaths among innocent Islamic civilians. And that would likely generate much anger throughout the Islamic world, and perhaps even moderate Muslims would begin to side with extremists. 

With a buffer zone, however, Afghans will be free to decide: either fight with the Taleban and terrorist groups, or withdraw to a neutral zone and await the outcome of the war. If the Taleban regime prevents further outflows of refugees, the US-led coalition should set up a “safety-corridor” from the interior of the country to the buffer zones before launching offensive attacks. Once the buffer zone is made practicable, it will be clear to the rest of the world that the fight is with the terrorists and their sponsors, not between Islam and the West.

These buffer zones would also have the merit of sending out the message to the international community that the US-led coalition is willing to abide by the laws of war and the human rights values they enshrine. The 1949 Geneva Conventions, with its two 1977 additional protocols, assure protection of civilian victims of war. Article 48 of the first protocol explicitly states that “parties to a conflict must at all times make the distinction between the civilian population and the combatants”. The buffer zones would serve to implement this article.

The buffer zones would also benefit surrounding countries. Many refugees will get through even if surrounding countries try to seal their relatively porous borders.  Despite border restrictions, some 15,000 Afghan refugees have entered Pakistan in the past week.  Buffer zones would remove the need to attempt hazardous journeys across borders and refugees would likely seek safety in these buffer zones. This would have the effect of minimizing the number of refugees in surrounding countries.

Last but not least, the buffer zones would help with the military aim of identifying and neutralizing terrorists and their backers. Undoubtedly, some innocent civilians will inevitably remain behind (the elderly, the infirm, etc). But the terrorists are likely to have fewer opportunities to hide and blend with the civilian population.

Terrorists have no respect for human life.  Civilized peoples of all nationalities and denominations can and should support the effort to hunt down terrorists. But we also have an obligation to minimize civilian casualties as the hunt goes on. 

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