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Karzai Says Civilian Toll Is No Longer Acceptable
A wounded Afghan lies in a hospital in Herat after a U.S.-led operation in Shindand district, where local officials said 45 to 51 civilians were killed.
(By Fraidoon Pooyaa -- Associated Press)
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Although opinion polls show that most Afghans do not support the Taliban or other violent guerrilla groups, analysts here say the issue of civilian deaths is being manipulated by insurgent leaders to foment anger against both the Karzai government and the foreign forces who were once widely welcomed here.
"The casualties are an easy propaganda tool for the Taliban to use in the affected areas," said Nader Nadery, vice president of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. "People feel under attack by both sides. This does not win hearts and minds. If we want to win the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the coalition must take precautionary measures to prevent more civilian casualties."
Maj. Chris Belcher, a U.S. military spokesman, said the U.S. forces are "doing everything we can to reduce civilian casualties. We take it very seriously. We are here at the invitation of the Afghan people and we value their participation in the fight against the Taliban."
None of the most recent incidents that caused civilian casualties has involved NATO troops, who are engaged in heavy fighting in the southern region that is the major Taliban stronghold. A NATO military spokeswoman said Wednesday that the alliance's role here is "counterinsurgency but not counterterrorism," meaning it does not aggressively track and kill suspected insurgents as U.S. Special Operations forces do here constantly.
"Our policy is always to minimize civilian casualties and damage. In some cases, we have actually canceled operations or maneuvers if they pose too much risk," said the spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Maria Carl.
As the Taliban insurgency grows and patience for foreign forces wears thin, much of the blame for the country's deteriorating situation has fallen on Karzai. In recent months he has come under increasing domestic and foreign criticism as an ineffectual leader who has failed to bring security and honest government to the nation.
Karzai has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan, for harboring and supporting Islamic extremists, while Musharraf has accused him of doing nothing to solve his domestic insurgency problems.
In their meeting, Karzai and Musharraf produced a joint statement in which they agreed to share intelligence and pledged not to allow the financing, training or promoting of extremist militants. Karzai said Wednesday he was "very hopeful" that the agreement would bear fruit.
Special correspondent Javed Hamdard contributed to this report.
