Karzai slams US crimes in Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has strongly condemned the US-led forces for committing serious crimes against civilians and their property in the war-ravaged country.

The condemnation comes after the US-led troops cut down thousands of trees and inflicted serious damage to public property in Ghazni Province.

“According to reports, the foreign forces have recently cut down between 3,000 to 4,000 trees in an area between Khani Baba and Band-e-Sarda villages,” the presidential palace said in a statement.

Karzai has reacted angrily to the news, saying that “the actions were a crime against public property of Afghanistan.”

The developments come as a recent report says US-led military operations have inflicted over USD 100 million in damages on public property in southern Afghanistan.

Karzai’s office has repeatedly called on the US to pay more attention to the protection of civilian lives and property during military operations.

US President Barack Obama has admitted that the issue of civilian causalities has created tension between the two governments.

Obama acknowledged that he sometimes has “blunt” conversations with Karzai, who has often criticized the US-led alliance for endangering civilians.

“Sometimes that conversation is very blunt. There are going to be some strong disagreements. Sometimes real tensions,” Obama said at the NATO summit in Lisbon in late November 2010.

Afghans say the US-led forces disregard local culture and have targeted hundreds of civilian in different parts of the war-torn country.

Foreign forces are often accused of killing civilians during operations launched against militants in the country.

Civilians have been the main victims of violence in Afghanistan, particularly in the country’s troubled southern and eastern provinces, where they are killed by both militant and foreign fire.

US-led forces have some 150,000 soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan, with civilian and military casualties at record highs, has become the longest war in US history.