Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that Nato will not conduct any airstrike on residential areas of the country.
A statement from Karzai’s office said that the General John Allen, the commander Isaf force in Afghanistan, had “promised” air strikes on residential areas would stop after Nato apologised for recent civilian deaths.
Karzai met General John Allen and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker days after a strike in Logar province that killed 18 civilians.
Allen “once again officially apologised for civilian casualties in Baraki Barak district” and “promised… not to carry out air strikes on public residential areas,” a statement read.
The statement added that “after agreeing with the demands of the president” Allen had said Nato forces “will completely stop such operations”.
It was the second time within a month that Allen had to admit civilian deaths in NATO air strikes that have strained relations between Karzai and the US, which leads international forces in the fight against Taliban insurgents.
Nato initially said its forces and Afghan troops came under fire during the operation to capture a Taliban commander and they called for an air strike.
Later, as villagers displayed bodies of women and children from the ruins of two houses, the Nato-led force said it had ordered an investigation. Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
Karzai’s chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, told Reuters the air strike was ordered unilaterally without coordinating with the Afghan forces on the ground.
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