Karzai slams US-led troops

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has blamed US-led troops for the death of scores of civilians in the eastern Kunar province over the past four days. Karzai Sunday strongly condemned the deaths of the civilians, promising to send investigators to the district to probe the attack, AFP reported.”

About 50 civilians have been martyred during international military forces operations in Ghazi Abad district in Kunar province,” he said.

Earlier on the day, Kunar province Governor Fazlullah Wahidi said at least 64 civilians, many of them women and children, have been killed in the ground and air raids on Ghazi Abad district. NATO said it is investigating reports that several civilians may have been injured, denying the civilian deaths.Civilian casualties in US-led military operations have long been a source of friction between the Afghan Government and NATO.

The deadliest year for Afghan civilians was 2010 since the US-led invasion almost a decade ago. At least 2,400 civilians were killed last year by both US-led forces and militants.The surge in violence comes despite the presence of 150,000 foreign troops.

Press TV