The following report for The Guardian, published today, looks at the recent meetings between the Presidents of the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan in Washington D.C. and the risks to civilians caught up in the war with the Taliban:
‘Collateral damage’ in AfPak hurts the US too
The bombardment of civilians in Afghanistan undermines the security credentials of western forces in the region
o Mustafa Qadri
o guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 May 2009 16.30 BST
The timing may have been a disaster for Washington, but for villagers in Afghanistan’s south it was far worse. A day after a US bombing killed up to 120 civilians in Afghanistan’s southern Farah province, President Obama asked the visiting presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari, to step up their attacks on Taliban and al-Qaida militants.