Karzai orders withdrawal of US special forces from two provinces

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the withdrawal of US Special Forces from Wardak and Logar provinces within two weeks, accusing them of fuelling “insecurity and instability.” “In today's national security council meeting, Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered the ministry of defense to kick out the US Special Forces from Wardak and Logar provinces within two weeks,” presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said during a press conference on Sunday. Faizi added that US forces and “illegal armed groups created by them” were causing “insecurity and instability” and harassing local people in the two provinces.

A US Forces Afghanistan spokesman said he was aware of the statements released on Sunday and that the accusation would be looked into.

“We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them,” the spokesman said. “Until we have had a chance to speak with senior (Afghan) officials about this issue we are not in a position to comment further. This is an important issue that we intend to fully discuss with our Afghan counterparts.”

Karzai’s move comes two days after US Secretary of State Defense Leon Panetta unveiled a proposal during a NATO meeting in Brussels, suggesting US and European forces remain in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 withdrawal plan. The US led the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan under the pretext of fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the country. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but after 11 years, insecurity remains in the country despite the presence of many US-led forces. The US-led war in Afghanistan, which has caused record-high civilian and military casualties, has become the longest military conflict in the American history.

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