Karzai's tightrope act...
President Karzai, visiting Shindand district (near the Iranian border), had
to walk a fine line in a speech that followed a series of civilian deaths at
the hands of international forces. Karzai criticized the tactics of these
forces--even as he argued the need to their continued presence. (In a separate interview
with
Pakistan television he said "Foreign troops would not leave till Al Qaeda, which is
active in Afghanistan
and
Karzai is put in an exceedingly difficult position by the recent civilian deaths. He
has long called for restraint in air-strikes and search and seizure tactics, but it’s clear that international forces will do what they see fit
regardless of his protests. The president assured the crowd in Shindand that it
would not happen again, but does anyone believe he can really deliver on this
promise?
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