After US Photos Scandal, Karazi Calls for Faster US Withdrawal
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Thursday for the US to leave Afghanistan ahead of the current 2014 deadline.
Karazi's statement came after he condemned photographs of American soldiers posing with the bloodied remains of three Taliban fighters as "disgusting."
He also warned that "similar incidents of an odious nature in the past sparked angry reactions from Afghans, including violent protests that left dozens dead."
The photos were published in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times. One shows members of the 82nd Airborne Division posing with Afghan police holding the severed legs of a suicide bomber.
"The same platoon a few months later was sent to investigate the remains of three insurgents reported to have accidentally blown themselves up - and soldiers again posed and mugged for a photo with the remains," the newspaper said.
"It is such a disgusting act to take photos with body parts and then share it with others," Karzai said. "The only way to put an end to such painful experiences is through an accelerated and full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces."
The Afghan government is currently scheduled to start taking the lead in security in 2013 and fully take over by the end of 2014 when the majority of international combat troops leave.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also called the pictures disrespectful. He condemned both the US soldiers involved in the pictures and the Afghan police also featured in them.
In recent months a series of events have highlighted the abuses by American forces.
In January a video emerged showing US Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Afghans while the burning of Qurans by US forces in February sparked large-scale protests in which 30 Afghans died.
Last month an American soldier left his base and massacred at least 17 civilians in an unprovoked attack.
Scandals like these by American troops have strained relations between the US and Afghanistan and deepened anti-American sentiments among Afghans.
Source: News agencies, Edited by moqawama.org
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