Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he delivered a "strong" appeal to military commanders in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties. Ban met the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul on June 29.
Also, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission says air strikes have recently killed more civilians than the Taliban. The group urged U.S. and NATO-led forces to cut back on air strikes and boost the number of foot soldiers in Afghanistan.
(AFP, Reuters)
U.S.-Afghan Relations
READ
'Strategic Partnership' Seen As Move Toward De Facto Rights For U.S. Bases
Analyst Discusses Increased U.S. Effort
Bush, Karzai Agree On Strategy Against Terror
Former CIA Analyst Says West Misunderstands Al-Qaeda
For regular news and analysis on Afghanistan by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report."