Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
The widening gap in conventional military capabilities between State forces and non-state armed groups in contemporary armed conflicts has enabled a significant degree of asymmetrical warfare. As the weaker conflict parties increasingly resort to norm-bending strategies and tactics to exhaust and demoralise their stronger adversaries, the normative framework to regulate the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law comes under severe stress. Consequently, this Paper revisits the Afghan armed conflict during the involvement of international forces to investigate the resilience of relevant norms during the hostilities and draw valuable lessons for other ongoing armed conflicts. Leveraging a doctrinal research approach, this Paper, amongst other points, advocates that State forces adopt creative use of force authority that mitigates the challenge of distinguishing members of non-state armed groups from ordinary civilians in their targeting decisions. Furthermore, this Paper highlights the need for adequate fidelity to the texts of relevant legal norms when assessing the lawfulness or otherwise of conflict parties' contentious conduct.
Yunusa Usman (Sun,) studied this question.