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Independent Afghan Army to Fight Al-Qaeda
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Agha threatened not to cooperate with U.S. forces against Taliban and Al-Qaeda |
By
Husbanollah Mutawakil, IOL Afghanistan correspondent
KABUL,
July 16 (IslamOnline) - Six provinces in southern Afghanistan decided
to form a new military organization, independent from the central
army, to chase down the remnants of Al-Qaeda and Taliban. However,
they stipulated that the U.S. forces get written permissions before
being allowed to operate in those provinces to protect civilian lives.
The
Islamic Afghan News Agency quoted Governor of Kandahar Gul Agha as
telling the Associated Press International News Agency: “The new
military consultation council includes governors of Kandahar, Helmn,
Uruzgan, Zabel, Winmroz, and Frah. We asked the governors not to rely
on foreign forces in operations against Taliban and Al-Qaeda.”
Agha
added that on his visit to the U.S. he would stress that foreign
forces must get permission from local leaders during their military
operations. Agha has had strong relations with American officials
since the beginning of the U.S.-led campaign to overthrow the Taliban
regime in Afghanistan in 2001. He is also close to the Afghani
President Hamid Karzai as both of them are Pashtuns.
He
clarified that the governors of the six provinces agreed that it is
necessary for the U.S. forces to get written permission from local
officials before being able to operate in them.
Agha
threatened not to cooperate with U.S. forces against Taliban and
Al-Qaeda if American officials don’t agree to this condition, adding
that the purpose of this measure is to avoid casualties among
civilians.
Most
Taliban leaders are from these six provinces and the American
administration thinks the majority of them are still on the run within
these provinces. Political analysts say a threat by governors of the
southern provinces to the U.S. is a “very significant
development.”
Hamid
Karzai said after the U.S. forces attacked a wedding in Uruzgan
province “we won’t endure losses of lives in the strikes. U.S.
forces must take great care to avoid harming innocent civilians.”
The
American planes struck and killed 100 civilians – most of them women
and children. The victims were attending a wedding party in the
village of Dairat Abad in
Uruzgan province south of Kandahar. Another unspecified number of
civilians were wounded in the strike which took place June 30. The
Pentagon acknowledged the
strike claiming it took place by “mistake.”
Karzai
ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident and
summoned the U.S. Charge d’Affaires in the U.S. Embassy in
Afghanistan to protest against the
strike.
Karzai
also asked him to explain the reasons that led to the tragedy, saying
“U.S forces must be cautious before making the strikes to avoid more
casualties among civilians.”
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