KABUL – Afghanistan’s Nato-led force has disputed an Afghan government accusation that foreign forces had violated a security pact by conducting a night raid in Kabul in which two guards were killed.
Under the 2008 deal, Afghan authorities have to approve and lead all security operations in the capital. But the ministry of interior has said that foreign forces ignored the security rules and it was unaware of Friday’s operation.
Raids by foreign forces, deeply unpopular among ordinary Afghans, are a source of friction between the Nato force and the government.
The incident is the latest to strain ties, with civilian casualties and accusations that President Hamid Karzai’s government is corrupt adding to tension at a time when the West is assessing its long-term involvement.
Mr Karzai and his national security council met the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen David Petraeus, on Sunday and discussed last week’s raid, Mr Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omer, said.
“This was an irresponsible way of dealing with an issue within Kabul city and that was clearly conveyed,” Mr Omer told a news conference.
Brig Gen Josef Blotz, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), said Isaf troops had co-ordinated the raid with Afghan security forces.
Isaf said on Friday the raid in downtown Kabul followed a “credible threat” to attack the US embassy in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security said last week it had separately detained three people who it said had been instructed by the Pakistani Taliban to attack the presidential palace and the US embassy.
But Afghan officials said the Isaf operation had incorrectly targeted the compound.
Authorities initially believed the compound was used by a private Afghan security firm but it was later found to belong to an armoured car business that has its headquarters in the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, bullet holes could be seen in some of the windows in the Tiger International compound in north Kabul.
“The raid was a violation and was not based on correct information,” Mohammad Zaher, head of criminal investigations for the police in Kabul, said. “The method of the operation was wrong,” he said.
“When we arrived at the scene people were asking for help, but the foreigners were firing in all directions.” – (Reuters)