Book Description
Photo: Chris Halton/British Army The distribution of aid by soldiers is not impartial as it promotes the image of one set of belligerents, experts say Indeed, such activities can jeopardize the safety and security of the communities receiving this aid as well as bona fide aid workers, they say. [...] "The objective of the mission was to help build confidence in the ANA [Afghan National Army] and ANP [Afghan National Police] as institutions, which had been undermined in the eyes of locals due to both real-life corruption and Taliban misinformation campaigns to exaggerate the problems," NATO said in a press release on 22 January. [...] "It is better for NATO to avoid using the term 'humanitarian' in describing its delivery of aid, when such activities are part of an overall military strategy to win the 'hearts and mind' of the local population and defeat the Taliban," Edward Burke, a researcher at the Madrid-based think-tank FRIDE, told IRIN. [...] Similar criticism has been aired by Antonio Donini, a humanitarian expert and senior researcher at the Feinstein International Center: "In my view the military should refrain from the direct provision of aid and in any case they should not call it 'humanitarian'." He said radios could benefit communities which have little access to information but the distribution of radio sets by the military cou. [...] Photo: Ebadi/WFP Humanitarian assistance by aid agencies is usually neutral, impartial, independent and needs- based "Counter-productive" The military's involvement in humanitarian and development activities not only blurs traditional boundaries between civil and military activities but jeopardizes the safety of aid workers and beneficiaries, aid agencies contend.