U.S. forces accidentally kill Afghan boy, strain ties further

[flowers]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/us-afghanistan-usa-idUSBREA080RD20140110

(Reuters) - U.S. forces in Afghanistan have accidentally shot dead a four year old boy, Afghan officials said on Friday, the latest violence to strain ties between the uneasy allies.

The Afghan-U.S. relationship has been damaged by President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a bilateral security deal that would pave the way for a U.S. military presence after the withdrawal of most foreign troops this year.

The United States has said its troops cannot remain without a deal. Their complete departure of U.S. troops would leave Afghan security forces on their own to battle the Taliban.

Karzai is demanding that the United States end all unilateral military operations on Afghan territory - among other things - before the pact is signed, because they cause avoidable civilian deaths.

"We have called ... for an absolute end to ISAF/NATO military operations on homes and villages in order to avoid such killings where innocent children or civilians are the victims," the president's spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said when commenting on the death of the boy.

The International Security Assistance force (ISAF) is Afghanistan's NATO-led force. It is dominated by U.S. troops.

A spokesman for the governor of the southern province of Helm

I will not post what I want to on this.

[EC]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/us-afghanistan-usa-idUSBREA080RD20140110

I will not post what I want to on this.

I will.

It happens. It is revolting and unconscionable and incredibly hard to live with, especially in these reported circumstances.