Elders share complaints with military top brass

 KABUL military leaders on Saturday held talks on the security situation in central Maidan Wardak province and listened to tribal elders’ complaints against the US Special Forces.

Arriving from Kabul to Maidan Shahr, the Afghan top brass included Chief of Army Staff Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, Director General Military Operations Fazl Aman, acting National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Brig. Gen. Asamuddin, Defence Ministry representative Din Mohammad Khan and other senior security officials.

The international troops were represented by International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (IJC) commander Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, Sgt. Maj. Thomas Capel, State Department representative David Gale and others.

The military officials held a detailed meeting with Governor Abdul Majid Khogyani and other provincial civil and military officials on the security situation, gubernatorial spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

After the meeting, they invited tribal elders from various districts to share their complaints, said the spokesman, who added the elders produced before the visiting military officials evidence regarding the alleged harassment and ill-treatment of residents at the hands of the US forces.

They accused US forces of picking up and killing residents, said Khogyani, who continued the elders claimed some families had lost their members to brutal actions by the forces. The elders sought punishment to the perpetrators and recovery of nine missing people.

Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi said he would share with President Hamid Karzai the evidence and information received from the elders. He said he would act as directed by the president.

Lt. Gen. Terry said their aim was to win liberty for the people of Afghanistan to enable them to work at their fields, offices and do their businesses without any fear. He added foreign troops had paid a huge price to achieve the shared goal of peace and stability in the country.

The governor vow to enforce every decision that could bring peace to the province. Complaints of alleged harassment of residents last week led President Karzai to order the Americans out from the province within two weeks.

ma/mud

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