25 Years On, Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Await Justice

DID Press: Human Rights Watch says that 25 years after the start of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, many victims of war crimes and human rights abuses still lack access to justice, accountability and reparations.

In a report marking 25 years since the U.S.-led invasion, the organization said U.S. forces faced allegations of torture, mistreatment of detainees and unlawful killings of civilians during the war, but that those responsible in many cases did not face effective prosecution.

Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Afghans who were tortured in U.S. custody and families of people who were wrongfully killed still have no clear path to seek compensation or redress from the U.S. government. She said successive U.S. administrations had failed to provide full accountability for such abuses.

The report also documents cases involving civilian killings by U.S. and coalition forces. Human Rights Watch said some U.S. service members were prosecuted in specific cases, but numerous other cases did not result in judicial accountability. The organization has likewise accused the Taliban and other armed groups of attacks against civilians, killings of women officials and journalists, and the use of explosive devices in populated areas.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council’s decision in October 2025 to establish an Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan, mandated to investigate, collect, preserve and analyze evidence of past and ongoing serious international crimes by all parties and support future prosecutions. The organization called for the mechanism to begin its work without delay.

Gossman said the passage of time should not deprive victims and their families of justice, compensation and recognition of their rights. Human Rights Watch has called on the United States and other countries involved in the Afghanistan war to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes by their forces and provide appropriate redress to victims.