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inside residences to furniture, appliances and personal effects or to parts of
house structure such as windows, doors and ceilings.
7.93.
There was also evidence of damage to motor vehicles and
allegations of property taken away in the absence of occupants of residences.
This last mentioned matter is dealt with elsewhere in this Report because it
pertained to the conduct of the security forces – see Chapter 14.
7.94.
In this Part, we examine –
•
the measures that were taken to reduce property damage;
•
the procedures adopted for searching premises;
•
provisions for humanitarian assistance.
(A)
Measures Taken
7.95.
The measures taken by the security forces to mitigate property
damage during the fighting stage of the operation included some of those taken
to avoid injury and death to civilians. We have discussed those above.
However, those that were specifically designed to reduce property damage were
few and, in any event, were more related to the conduct of searches by the
security forces.
7.96.
With respect to searches, the evidence disclosed that these were
conducted in what may be called, “waves”. Searches were indeed conducted by
different types of units for different purposes and at different times.
First Wave – House Clearing
7.97.
The first wave of searches was conducted for the purpose of
clearing residences in Tivoli Gardens and ensuring that there were no gunmen
within the buildings. These searches were conducted on 24 May after the JDF
had gained control of the community. They were conducted as a combat
procedure and continued throughout the night of 24 May and into the morning of