Killid Commentary.

 For many Afghans, slain Afghan journalist Sultan Munadi has become a symbol for all that is wrong with the United States led war in Afghanistan.

1,013 Afghan civilians died due to the conflict in the first six months of this year, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, a 24 percent increase over the same period in 2008, when 818 civilians were killed. This figure does not reflect the possibly thousands more who perished due to forced displacement and ruined crops caused by the war.

Mr. Munadi, an accomplished and respected newsman in his own right, was working as a translator and guide for British New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell, on a story about possible civilian casualties.

On Sept. 8, the pair traveled to Kunduz, where US bombers called in by German commander Col. Georg Klein laid waste to a fuel tanker that had been hijacked by insurgent fighters. A NATO fact-finding team estimated that about 125 people were killed in the bombing, while a delegation of the Ministry of Interior was sent to gather details about the civilian casualties. A full investigation is still being undertaken. The investigation faces the grim challenge of distinguishing between civilian and insurgent remains, as all were equally turned into ashes.

The two reporters traveled north to survey the damage and interview witnesses. According to Mr. Farrell's account of the ordeal, posted on a Times blog, he and Mr. Munadi visited the site of the ruined tanker on the second day of their reporting trip to Kunduz. They spent at least a half-hour there, talking to local residents.

Then the Taliban showed up.

The two were immediately taken into custody and for four days whisked from hideout to hideout, in an effort to avoid detection. However, coalition forces were monitoring their cell-phone conversations and a helicopter-borne rescue operation was soon mounted by British commandos.

The commandos stormed the hideout and Mr. Munadi, Afghan looking and dressed in Afghan clothes, came out shouting "Journalist, Journalist.” He was immediatly shot.

One of the commandos was also killed in the raid.

The British spirited their countrymen away from the scene, but left Mr. Munadi's body behind to the dust and vermin.

The fact that he was killed by foreign forces while Farrell survived the attack, gives many Afghans the feeling that the coalition doesn't place too high a value on Afghan lives.

At a press conference held at Kabul's Central Hotel last week by the Civil Society and Human Rights Network, Afghan journalists and Mr. Munadi's father vented frustration at what they view as a cavalier attitude by the coalition toward Afghan lives and deaths.

"This is a national disaster for Afghanistan," said one speaker.

A statement released prior to the event said, "International forces must respect the human rights of Afghan citizens equally to those of their own citizens… NATO and ISAF forces should treat Afghan citizens, especially victims captured by Taliban, without discrimination during their operations."

Munadi's father was more plainspoken.

"Coalition forces never respect the Afghan people," said the white bearded, stoop-backed senior. "They behave like animals. They deliberately killed my son. I ask the assembled Afghan media to stand up and show strength against the government and foreign forces. Ask them why they behave in this way."

While the assembled journalists nodded in agreement at the elder Munadi's harsh words for the foreigners, there was plenty of scorn left over for the Afghan government.

"The government has done nothing to get to the bottom of this killing, or the killings of many other journalists, as they promised to do," said one newspaper editor.

"Why hasn't the government shown a serious response to civilian deaths," asked another Afghan journalist. "They never do a thing."

In a telephone interview with Radio Free Afghanistan, Reza Moini, a researcher at Reporters Without Borders, also demanded a thorough investigation.

"Our efforts will not be limited to conveying condolences and expressing our sympathies," he said. "What is important for us is that Munadi's killing happened under circumstances that have raised many questions. That's why our statement demanded an investigation into this incident and we want the troops involved in this operation to answer our questions."

The outrage over Munadi's death is compounded by the fact that he is only the latest in a long line of professional reporters killed at the hands of foreigners or insurgents.

 Shayima Rezaee, Zakiye Zaki, Sange Amaj, Ajmal Naqshbandi, Rohani and Jawid, were all working diligently to bring news to the Afghan people when their lives were brutally ended by one side or another of this conflict.

If just some of these tragic deaths had been properly investigated, say local activists, perhaps the above list would not be quite so long.

The media professionals have created a list of demands for the Afghan government, aimed at calling foreign governments to account for their roles in the deaths of civilians and news reporters.

Among their requests are pleas that the Afghan government conducts "serious and thorough investigations to identify the perpetrators of this inhuman act." They also demand that the Afghan Foreign Ministry "summon the diplomatic missions of countries whose forces, through a military operation, have caused the death of Sultan Munadi," to get an explanation.

But many of the gathered media were not optimistic about the chances of the government of any country providing answers. Instead, the reporters pledged to work together to get to the bottom of Sultan's slaying.

"Only we can fully investigate this issue," said one journalist. "It is our voices that will shake the world."