US special forces operations that killed 90 Afghan civilians have caused friction with the US' NATO partners, who are concerned that such deaths hurt the standing of Western troops fighting the Taliban insurgency.
The deaths involved troops from the 12,000-member US-led coalition and not NATO's 37,000-member International Security Assistance Force, but NATO officials fear that Afghans and others don't understand the distinction.
Mounting civilian casualties have already dented support for the international mission, sparking angry demonstrations and a warning from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that Afghans can no longer accept them.
PHOTO: AFP
German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said on Wednesday that the operations by US-led troops show the need for restraint.
"We have to do everything to avoid civilians from being affected," Jung said on Germany's ZDF television. "We are in talks with our American friends about this."
Insurgency-related violence has spiked this year, with more than 1,800 people killed, according to an Associated Press count based on US, NATO and Afghan reports.
They include about 135 civilians killed by US or NATO action, a figure that also could undermine support in Western countries, especially in Europe, for the deployment. About 135 civilians have also been killed by Taliban suicide bombs and attacks.
NATO's counterinsurgency strategy focuses on separating fighters from the general population and strengthening the Afghan government. The US-led coalition's counterterrorism mission involves taking out al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders and cells of skilled fighters.
While troops from the two missions communicate often and at times work together, they operate under different command structures and don't always coordinate.
US operations have created "a fallout that is negative because the collateral damage and particularly the civilian casualties are seen as unduly high, certainly by the Afghan people. This is of concern to us," said Daan Everts, the senior NATO civilian in Afghanistan.
Everts said there is not a "complete disconnect" between the coalition and ISAF, but that there is "room for more coordination and consultation that would prevent possible mishaps."
Reports of killing Taliban militants are often received badly in European capitals where officials want to sell the mission as reconstruction and development, not just military might.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer alluded to possible fissures in the 26-member alliance at a news conference with US President George W. Bush on Monday, saying Afghanistan is a front line in the fight against terrorism "that should not become a fault line."
Bush said that the Taliban like "to surround themselves with innocent civilians."
"Obviously, to the extent that the United States is working with our NATO allies in combat, we care deeply about protecting innocent life," Bush said.
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