UN Extends NATO-led Afghan Force

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UN Extends NATO-led Afghan Force
September 23, 2008
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Sept. 22 to extend the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, but was critical of the growing number of civilian casualties, and urged its troops and U.S.-led forces to make major efforts to minimize civilian deaths.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has long complained that civilian deaths caused by U.S. or NATO military action undermine his government and the international mission.

The issue was propelled to the forefront of U.S.-Afghan relations when an Afghan commission found that an Aug. 22 U.S.-led operation in the western village of Azizabad killed 90 civilians, including 60 children. That finding was backed by a preliminary U.N. report, though the United States is still investigating the incident.

The resolution recognized the increased threats posed by Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers, al-Qaida and other extremist groups, and the challenges in dealing with them - but at the same time the council expressed "its serious concern with the high number of civilian casualties in this context."

It recognized the efforts made by the NATO-led forces and other international troops to minimize the risk of civilian casualties and called on them "to take additional robust efforts in this regard."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/un-extends-natoled-afghan-force.html?col=1186032310810