Afghanistan night raids: US signs deal governing controversial operations
Baku, April 9 (AZERTAC). The U.S. and Afghanistan signed a deal Sunday giving Afghans authority over raids of Afghan homes, resolving one of the most contentious issues between the two wartime allies. The majority of these raids are nighttime operations in which U.S. and Afghan troops descend without warning on homes or residential compounds searching for insurgents. The raids are widely resented by Afghans, and President Hamid Karzai had repeatedly called for a halt to all night raids by international forces. He said for months that they would have to stop before he would sign a much-anticipated pact governing the long-term U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Both countries have said that they wanted that bigger deal signed before the NATO summit in May, so the night raids agreement announced Sunday makes hitting that deadline possible.
Sunday`s deal appeared to be a compromise: a panel of Afghan security officials get authority to decide what raids will take place and U.S. forces still play a large part in operations, including entering Afghan homes if needed. The Americans also now have an Afghan partner that will be held equally to account if there are civilian casualties or allegations of mistreatment. The resolution of this dispute is a key step toward finalizing the long-term "strategic partnership" to govern U.S. forces in Afghanistan after the majority of combat forces leave in 2014. The long-term pact is seen as important for assuring the Afghan people that they will not be abandoned by their international allies. "This is a landmark day in (the) rule of law," Allen told reporters. He said that Afghans are now "in the lead on two of the most important issues: capturing the terrorists and ensuring they remain behind bars."
According to the document, all "special operations" will have to be reviewed and approved by a panel pulled from the Afghan military, government and intelligence services. The definition of a "special operation" is left vague, but appears to apply to night raids as well as other operations that involve going into Afghan homes. Any disagreements will be resolved by a joint U.S.-Afghan committee including the defense minister and the U.S. forces commander, the agreement says. It does not say how this committee will make decisions. The agreement says Afghan forces will conduct home searches and that U.S. forces will be allowed to enter private compounds "only as required or requested."
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