Afghan president says U.S. forces killed 16 civilians

[Francis2004]

So as the war moves forward in Afghanistan are we really making friends. The US has just killed 16 civilians according to the Karzai. Are we still welcome in Afghanistan as Karzai lashes out to the West and have we been puppets of this administration.

Is the fear that Taliban are taking power again real and now making us the scape goats of the war?

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai condemned a U.S. operation he said killed 16 Afghan civilians, while hundreds of villagers denounced the American military during an angry demonstration Sunday.

Karzai said the killing of innocent Afghans during U.S. military operations "is strengthening the terrorists."


He also announced that his Ministry of Defence sent Washington a draft technical agreement that seeks to give Afghanistan more oversight over U.S. military operations. The same letter has also been sent to NATO headquarters.


Karzai in recent weeks has increasingly lashed out at his Western backers over the issue of civilian casualties, even as U.S. politicians and a top NATO official have publicly criticized Karzai for the slow pace of progress here.


The back-and-forth comes as the new administration of President Barack Obama must decide whether to support Karzai as he seeks re-election later this year as part of the United States' overall Afghan strategy.

The Taliban are claiming they control 70 per cent of rural Afghanistan and have instituted a shadow government with their own police, courts and rule of law.



The boast comes in the days leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president, who is planning on dramatically ratcheting up America's military presence in Afghanistan.


The Taliban's claim is being dismissed by many inside Afghanistan as empty rhetoric, but there is little denying that their presence is expanding.


Khalid Pashtoon, a member of the Afghan Parliament, says there isn't enough NATO and Afghan troops to police the entire country. As well, the justice system is spread thin and some villagers are turning to the harsh - but swift -- justice system of the Taliban.

CTV.ca | Taliban claims they've formed shadow government

Have we given the Taliban the Power to be back in a position to control Afghanistan again ?

I have often said a country cannot rid another of a tyrant but rather it must come from within. Yes you can kill the tyrant himself but in the shadows is another coward in waiting to take control again.

 

[normbc9]

Maybe the NATO troops should just flat pull out and see how fast it takes for Karzai to be another target. He'll be toast in days without some support forces to count on. The tactics being employed now by the Taliban were first used suvccessfully in Vietnam. Hide in civilian houses and wait for the incoming and then the survivors lodge the complaints to the media.

 

[earth_as_one]

Right now, its still not clear how many of these people were civilians or militants.

Karzai as the civilian leader has a right and obligation to complain about foreign troops killing Afghan civilians.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4341296/Afghan-President-Hamid-Karzai-says16-civilians-killed-in-US-attack-on-Taliban.html

Taliban killing civilians:
direct deaths: at least 1,766 - 2,449

Killed as a result of US led military operation
direct deaths: at least 4,800 - 6,873
indirect deaths in initial invasion: 3,200 - 20,000
direct & indirect deaths: 8,000 - 26,873

Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winning the hearts and minds of the locals is an important part of this war.