US, Afghans reach deal on early troops pullout in troubled Wardak
Source: Agencies |
March 21, 2013, Thursday
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THE US military and the Afghan government reached a deal yesterday on a gradual pullout of American special forces and their Afghan counterparts from a contentious eastern province.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has blamed the troops for egregious human rights abuses in Wardak province.
NATO forces said in a statement that commander General Joseph Dunford agreed with Karzai to remove American troops first from Wardak's Nerkh district and then later from other parts of the province. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi confirmed that a deal was in place during a news conference in Kabul yesterday.
"The international forces are ready to withdraw the special forces from Nirkh district of Maidan Wardak province and Afghan army units are going to replace them in the coming days," Azimi said, adding that there are no other US commando units in the rest of the province.
A US military official explained that a small, mostly US army special operations team would withdraw from Nerkh, as would the Afghan local police force that works alongside the Americans.
The deal marked a political win for Karzai, who has long complained the US special operations troops and their Afghan allies were outside his control. It will also speed the handover of security in the troubled province, faster than the US officials and some members of Karzai's own government had recommended or planned.
Speaking ahead of the announcement of the deal, Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizee said the Afghan security forces were going to take control of the province eventually, so the gradual transfer "can be a testing period."
Faizee insisted earlier this week that an Afghan American working for the US special operations forces was filmed abusing a suspect, on US orders. The spokesman said the film was obtained during an Afghan defense ministry investigation, which was completed over the weekend.
It was not clear what the agreement would mean for dozens of small US special operations outposts throughout Afghanistan, and the Afghans units partnered with them.
Such Afghan units, known as local police, were started by US forces but have been incorporated into the Afghan Ministry of Interior, and answer to the local district police chief, according to an Afghan security official.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has blamed the troops for egregious human rights abuses in Wardak province.
NATO forces said in a statement that commander General Joseph Dunford agreed with Karzai to remove American troops first from Wardak's Nerkh district and then later from other parts of the province. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi confirmed that a deal was in place during a news conference in Kabul yesterday.
"The international forces are ready to withdraw the special forces from Nirkh district of Maidan Wardak province and Afghan army units are going to replace them in the coming days," Azimi said, adding that there are no other US commando units in the rest of the province.
A US military official explained that a small, mostly US army special operations team would withdraw from Nerkh, as would the Afghan local police force that works alongside the Americans.
The deal marked a political win for Karzai, who has long complained the US special operations troops and their Afghan allies were outside his control. It will also speed the handover of security in the troubled province, faster than the US officials and some members of Karzai's own government had recommended or planned.
Speaking ahead of the announcement of the deal, Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizee said the Afghan security forces were going to take control of the province eventually, so the gradual transfer "can be a testing period."
Faizee insisted earlier this week that an Afghan American working for the US special operations forces was filmed abusing a suspect, on US orders. The spokesman said the film was obtained during an Afghan defense ministry investigation, which was completed over the weekend.
It was not clear what the agreement would mean for dozens of small US special operations outposts throughout Afghanistan, and the Afghans units partnered with them.
Such Afghan units, known as local police, were started by US forces but have been incorporated into the Afghan Ministry of Interior, and answer to the local district police chief, according to an Afghan security official.
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