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| Afghans Compromise Over Ban on Elite U.S. Troops | Afghans Compromise Over Ban on Elite U.S. Troops |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai’s government has agreed to compromise on his demand that American Special Operations forces immediately leave Wardak Province, according to statements from American and Afghan officials on Wednesday, breaking an increasingly acrimonious impasse. | KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai’s government has agreed to compromise on his demand that American Special Operations forces immediately leave Wardak Province, according to statements from American and Afghan officials on Wednesday, breaking an increasingly acrimonious impasse. |
| Tensions over Mr. Karzai’s order grew sharply worse just more than a week ago after the discovery that the American military had ignored his March 10 deadline for withdrawal. | Tensions over Mr. Karzai’s order grew sharply worse just more than a week ago after the discovery that the American military had ignored his March 10 deadline for withdrawal. |
| “I am pleased to announce that following a very constructive series of talks with the president and the leadership of the M.O.D. and M.O.I., we have come to agreement on a plan for Wardak that continues the transition of this critical province and meets the security needs of the people and the requirements of our mission,” Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the top American commander in Afghanistan, said in a statement, referring to the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior. | “I am pleased to announce that following a very constructive series of talks with the president and the leadership of the M.O.D. and M.O.I., we have come to agreement on a plan for Wardak that continues the transition of this critical province and meets the security needs of the people and the requirements of our mission,” Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the top American commander in Afghanistan, said in a statement, referring to the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior. |
| The statement offered only a vague sense of timing, saying that full security control in one particular district, Nerkh, would “soon” be handed over by American Special Forces and the Afghan Local Police militiamen they train, with the rest of Wardak being transferred over time. Wardak sits directly to the west of the capital, Kabul, and important roadways run through it, making it a frequent staging ground for insurgent attacks against Kabul. | |
| The dispute came on the heels of complaints related to abuses by American forces and accompanying Afghan men during night raids in the province, accusations the coalition has denied. Some Afghan and Western officials said that groups friendly with Hezb-i-Islami insurgents were responsible for actions leading to the complaints. | The dispute came on the heels of complaints related to abuses by American forces and accompanying Afghan men during night raids in the province, accusations the coalition has denied. Some Afghan and Western officials said that groups friendly with Hezb-i-Islami insurgents were responsible for actions leading to the complaints. |
| The conflict over Wardak has come during a stretch of increasingly strident criticism by Mr. Karzai about Western involvement in Afghanistan, with some analysts saying he is evoking Afghan sovereignty in an effort to shake an image as an American lackey. He recently accused the Taliban and Americans of basically working at complementary ends to destabilize Afghanistan, a charge the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, called “absolutely ridiculous.” | The conflict over Wardak has come during a stretch of increasingly strident criticism by Mr. Karzai about Western involvement in Afghanistan, with some analysts saying he is evoking Afghan sovereignty in an effort to shake an image as an American lackey. He recently accused the Taliban and Americans of basically working at complementary ends to destabilize Afghanistan, a charge the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, called “absolutely ridiculous.” |
| The president’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi, offered his own rejoinder to the secretary general, broadcast on local television this week, a broadside that reflects the growing weariness of Afghans with the war and the presence of foreign troops here for more than a decade. | The president’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi, offered his own rejoinder to the secretary general, broadcast on local television this week, a broadside that reflects the growing weariness of Afghans with the war and the presence of foreign troops here for more than a decade. |
| “The people of Afghanistan ask NATO to define the purpose and aim of the so-called war on terror, as they question why after a decade, this war in their country has failed to achieve its stated goals, but rather has resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives and destruction of their homes,” Mr. Faizi said. | “The people of Afghanistan ask NATO to define the purpose and aim of the so-called war on terror, as they question why after a decade, this war in their country has failed to achieve its stated goals, but rather has resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives and destruction of their homes,” Mr. Faizi said. |
| Additional points of dispute that touch on issues of Afghan sovereignty have bedeviled relations between Afghans and the coalition in recent months, including a continuing disagreement over issues critical to negotiations about long-term American assistance to Afghanistan. | Additional points of dispute that touch on issues of Afghan sovereignty have bedeviled relations between Afghans and the coalition in recent months, including a continuing disagreement over issues critical to negotiations about long-term American assistance to Afghanistan. |
| The thorniest of those has been the transfer of the prisoners held by the Americans at Bagram Prison. That transition was meant to take place last year, but delays related to prisoners the Americans deem high risk have scuttled plans to complete the transfer. That led to the cancellation of a ceremony during a recent visit to the country by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. | The thorniest of those has been the transfer of the prisoners held by the Americans at Bagram Prison. That transition was meant to take place last year, but delays related to prisoners the Americans deem high risk have scuttled plans to complete the transfer. That led to the cancellation of a ceremony during a recent visit to the country by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. |
| Mr. Karzai has publicly said he was promised the transfer would happen by the end of this week, but that appears unlikely as the two sides continue to struggle to work through their differences. | Mr. Karzai has publicly said he was promised the transfer would happen by the end of this week, but that appears unlikely as the two sides continue to struggle to work through their differences. |
| Even while intensifying his ire about specific issues, Mr. Karzai has continued a pattern of conciliatory words when discussing the general relationship between his country and the United States. In remarks broadcast Monday, he thanked the United States for its support and said the two governments were committed to an enduring friendship. The comments came shortly after the coalition put out a safety alert cautioning that Mr. Karzai’s anti-American statements could encourage attacks against its forces. | Even while intensifying his ire about specific issues, Mr. Karzai has continued a pattern of conciliatory words when discussing the general relationship between his country and the United States. In remarks broadcast Monday, he thanked the United States for its support and said the two governments were committed to an enduring friendship. The comments came shortly after the coalition put out a safety alert cautioning that Mr. Karzai’s anti-American statements could encourage attacks against its forces. |
| “My assertions were only for reform, not for reprimand or destruction of the relations,” Mr. Karzai said. “Where we see the interests of Afghanistan as very important, vital and fundamental, we want the Americans to respect and recognize those interests.” | “My assertions were only for reform, not for reprimand or destruction of the relations,” Mr. Karzai said. “Where we see the interests of Afghanistan as very important, vital and fundamental, we want the Americans to respect and recognize those interests.” |
| Violence was particularly severe in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday and Wednesday. A protest in response to accusations of desecration of the Koran in Helmand Province turned violent Wednesday, with four civilians reported killed, and five civilians and two police officers wounded, officials said. | Violence was particularly severe in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday and Wednesday. A protest in response to accusations of desecration of the Koran in Helmand Province turned violent Wednesday, with four civilians reported killed, and five civilians and two police officers wounded, officials said. |
| The violence, in Musa Qala, erupted over accusations that a district police official had ripped a Koran, though conflicting reports from provincial officials and religious leaders left the facts of what happened unclear. Some claimed the Taliban had stirred up the protests. | The violence, in Musa Qala, erupted over accusations that a district police official had ripped a Koran, though conflicting reports from provincial officials and religious leaders left the facts of what happened unclear. Some claimed the Taliban had stirred up the protests. |
| Three men traveling on the road from Sangin district to Ghorbak district in Kandahar Province were abducted by the Taliban and beheaded, an Afghan official said. One tribal elder said the men were members of the Afghan Local Police, while the district governor reported they were civilians. | Three men traveling on the road from Sangin district to Ghorbak district in Kandahar Province were abducted by the Taliban and beheaded, an Afghan official said. One tribal elder said the men were members of the Afghan Local Police, while the district governor reported they were civilians. |
| In Zabul Province, three Afghan Border Police officers were killed in a fight with another border officer, officials said, adding that the assailant, who is thought to have escaped to Pakistan, was not involved in the insurgency. The Taliban, however, claimed responsibility for the killings, saying the officer was an infiltrator. | In Zabul Province, three Afghan Border Police officers were killed in a fight with another border officer, officials said, adding that the assailant, who is thought to have escaped to Pakistan, was not involved in the insurgency. The Taliban, however, claimed responsibility for the killings, saying the officer was an infiltrator. |
| In Khost Province, in the east, a magnetic bomb placed on a vehicle driven by Afghan security forces killed two police officers. | In Khost Province, in the east, a magnetic bomb placed on a vehicle driven by Afghan security forces killed two police officers. |