By Sansita Palakollu
International humanitarian law or also known as IHL is a set of rules to limit the effects of armed conflicts. Under this law, it protects people who are not or no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare. There are many rules and regulations that IHL covers, but the most important rule is that civilians can never be targeted; it must be avoided at all cost. Similarly, destroying essential things for survival such as crops or homes should be avoided. Another law of war is that you cannot torture prisoners no matter their past actions; they also must be given the essential neccessities to live like food and water. Prisoners may be allowed to talk to their loved ones as well by writing letters. Another important rule of warfare is that hospitals and doctors must always be protected; when patients come injured, doctors must treat them regardless of which side they are fighting with. A limit to warfare is that if a particular weapon cannot distinguish the difference between fighters and civilians, those weapons are restricted to use. IHL affects millions of people around the globe and is very crucial for fighters to follow all the rules of warfare. In May 2020, gunmen had attacked a maternity hospital and killed at least 14 civilians including 2 newborn babies in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hours just before this tragic incident, a suicide blast killed a minimum of 24 civilians and wounded many more. The UN chief Antonio Guterres gave a statement soon after saying that the “attacks against civilians are unacceptable and that hospitals, medical facilities and personnel have special protection under international humanitarian law. Those who carry out such crimes must be held accountable.” Furthermore the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan tweeted that those who were responsible for this heinous act should be brought to justice. The UNAMA also offered his “condolences to the victims and families.” During deadly attacks such as the one in Kabul, is a clear violation of the international humanitarian law, which was established to protect civilians. IHL was established to maintain a better way to fight war and still today, we struggle to fight according to the rules and not purposefully hurt civilians.
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