Allied commander in Afghanistan restricts airstrikes
Baku, June 12 (AZERTAC). The senior allied commander in Afghanistan has ordered new restrictions on airstrikes against Taliban fighters who hide in residential homes, coalition officials said Sunday, a move in response to a NATO attack in the eastern part of the country last week that Afghan officials say killed 18 civilians.
Officials said the directive from Gen. John Allen, commander for international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, underscores NATO's existing commitment to protecting civilians.
It also marks a triumph for President Hamid Karzai, who has repeatedly stressed that civilian casualties undermine relations between the countries. Karzai has frequently pushed for a less confrontational approach in dealing with the Taliban.
On Sunday, U.S. officials said Allen's order is not an outright ban on such airstrikes and sought to describe it in more nuanced terms, saying that NATO would continue to conduct operations against insurgents who use civilian dwellings for shelter.
Militants often hide in civilian homes, so a complete ban on airstrikes could hinder the ability of U.S. forces to pursue the Taliban. Allen's order does not affect ground operations against insurgents.
Eralier on June 1 at least 30 Taliban militants have been killed and 14 injured in various Afghanistan provinces.
"The police backed by the Army and the Coalition forces have conducted series of operations in Helmand, Uruzgan, Logar and Ghazni provinces which left 30 armed militants dead," Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a statement. The militants were killed by Afghan national police backed by the Army and NATO-led troops, it added.
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