Russia won’t join in US offensives in Afghanistan

Russia’s permanent representative to NATO, Dmitri Rogozin, says his country will not take part in any military operation in Afghanistan “under any circumstances.”

“It is our principle that we will not take part in the military phase of the operation in Afghanistan. We will not send our soldiers or officers there under any circumstances,” Rogozin said Monday on the Ekho Moskvy radio.

He added that Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have recently assessed common threats and exchanged views on military cooperation, including logistics, anti-terrorism tactics and the fight against piracy.

Russia-NATO relations sunk to a Cold War-style chill following a brief fracas between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.

Among Russia’s chief concerns is NATO’s intention to offer membership to the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia. It is also troubled by Washington’s plans to place missile systems in Romania and possibly other eastern European nations.

Thousands of US-led troops are working alongside the Afghan forces in Operation Moshtarak, meaning “together” in the Dari language, to capture Taliban strongholds in areas around Marjah and Nad Ali.

The tribal elders of Helmand want an end to the US-led offensive in the war-ravaged country, citing Western troops’ disregard for civilian lives as the main reason.

They have also expressed concerns about the way the operations have been handled so far.

High civilian casualties – inflicted by the coalition forces – have raised anti-occupation sentiment among Afghans and have been a source of tension between the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Washington.

Karzai on Saturday criticized US-led troops for killing civilians.

The angry Afghan president held up a picture of an 8-year-old girl whose entire family was killed during an offensive in the southern town of Marjah.

“If a little girl is to collect the dead bodies of family members, you can guess in what situation we are in now,” Karzai said.

Many Afghan civilians have been killed both by violent militant acts, including bombings and daily fighting, as well as by US military operations in the country.

More than 16 civilians have been reported killed so far during the offensive, though human rights groups claim the number is higher.