Karzai To Ban Airstrikes Requested By Afghan Security Forces

[unhappycamper]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/16/karzai-to-ban-airstrikes-_n_2701521.html



Afghan President Hamid Karzai addresses Afghan National Army officers during a conference at the National Miltary Academy in Kabul on February 16, 2013. Afghanistan has committed to taking full responsibility for its own security after US forces leave, and the White House said Afghan security forces now count 352,000 troops, thanks to a broad NATO training effort.

Karzai To Ban Airstrikes Requested By Afghan Security Forces
By RAHIM FAIEZ 02/16/13 09:59 AM ET EST AP

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that he will issue a decree banning Afghan security forces from asking international troops to carry out airstrikes under "any circumstances."

The announcement came amid anger over a joint Afghan-NATO operation this week that Afghan officials said killed 10 civilians, including women and children, in northeast Kunar province.

"I will issue a decree tomorrow that no Afghan security forces, in any circumstances, in any circumstances can ask for the foreigners' planes for carrying out operations on our homes and villages," Karzai said in a speech at the Afghan National Military Academy in Kabul.

Civilian deaths at the hands of foreign forces, in particular airstrikes, have been among the most divisive issues of the 11-year-old war, although the U.S.-led coalition has implemented measures to mitigate them. But the Afghan military also relies heavily on air support to gain advantage in the fight against Taliban militants and other insurgents.