Karzai: Civilian toll from NATO raids too high

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told delegates that his government is concerned about the civilian casualties of the war in his country.

Karzai told the representatives from more than 70 countries at the Afghanistan Conference in London that the civilian death toll from the NATO-led raids was “unacceptably high.”

He said that people demand that military operations should only be carried out by Afghan forces.

NATO air strikes against ‘suspected’ Taliban militants have killed hundreds of civilians in different parts of Afghanistan over the past few months.

A recent UN report charges that 2009 was the deadliest year for civilians since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

The violence in the country left more than 2,400 Afghan civilians dead last year.

The Afghan president has been denouncing the killing of civilians that has fueled anti-American sentiments in Afghanistan.

Karzai also raised his government’s plan to re-integrate into the Afghan society those Taliban militants that have cut ties with al-Qaeda.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is hosting the conference, supported Karzai’s re-integration plan.

The transfer of security to Afghan forces is also on the agenda of the talks.

An international conference on the future of Afghanistan kicked off in London on Thursday.