Afghan President: U.S. Troops Must Quit Province After Torture Allegations

[HuffingtonPost]

(Changes first paragraph, removes spokesman's quote from  paragraph 6 to make clear accusations were made against Afghans  working for U.S. special forces, not against members of U.S.  special forces)                

KABUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has  given U.S. special forces two weeks to leave a key battleground  province after accusations that Afghans working for them  tortured and killed innocent people, the president's spokesman  said on Sunday.                

The decision by Karzai could further complicate negotiations  between the United States and Afghanistan over the presence of  Americans troops in the country once most NATO forces leave by  the end of 2014.                

Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Karzai's spokesman  Aimal Faizi said villagers in Wardak province had lodged a  series of complaints about operations conducted by U.S. special  forces and a group of Afghans working with them.                

The decision was reached at a Sunday meeting of the Afghan  National Security Council, chaired by Karzai, Faizi said.                

"The Ministry of Defense was assigned to make sure all U.S.  special forces are out of the province within two weeks," he  said.                

A statement from the NATO-led International Security  Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said: "US Forces  Afghanistan is aware of the reporting of Presidential spokesman  Aimal Faizi's comments today. We take all allegations of  misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the  facts surrounding them.                

"But until we have had a chance to speak with senior  Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials  about this issue, we are not in a position to comment further."                

Sunday's announcement came days after Karzai issued a decree  banning all Afghan security forces from using NATO air strikes  in residential areas, in a bid to curb civilian casualties.                

That was in response to an operation in Kunar targeting four  Taliban members which resulted in the deaths of ten civilians,  including five children, during an air strike.                

Karzai has long warned his Western backers that the killing  of civilians could sap support for the foreign troops in the  country and fuel the insurgency.     (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Washington bureau; Writing by  Dylan Welch; Editing by Stephen Powell and Paul Tait)

Via: HuffingtonPost