By IANS,
Kabul:Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reiterated his call to the NATO-led coalition forces to stop night raid operations in the country.
“Afghan President Hamid Karzai once again called on NATO forces to stop night raid and search operations on Afghan houses,” Xinhua quoted Lemar TV as reporting.
“Afghanistan will not sign a strategic partnership with the US until NATO-led night raids and search operations on Afghan houses are stopped,” Karzai was quoted as saying.
The NATO-led International Security Assistant Force (ISAF) carried out its latest night operation in Gardez city, the capital of eastern Paktia province Dec 16. At least one woman as killed and four people were.
NATO, however, has defended the night raids as the safest form of operations to take out Taliban leaders, while insisting it will continue the raids but with the increasing participation of Afghan forces.
A total of 1,462 Afghan civilians were killed in the first half of 2011, according to a UN mid-year report released in Kabul in July.