(Adds details, background)
KABUL, April 8 (Reuters) – Afghanistan and the United States
have reached an agreement to curb divisive night raids on Afghan
homes, giving local authorities veto power over planned
operations and more say in the treatment of detainees, Afghan
officials said on Sunday.
The deal would be signed later on Sunday by Afghan Defence
Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak and NATO’s top commander in
the country, U.S. Marine General John Allen, at the Afghan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said.
Night raids on suspected militants are hated by most
Afghans, but backed by NATO commanders as a key anti-insurgent
tactic. They are seen as the biggest hurdle in negotiations on a
broader strategic pact to underpin a future U.S. troop presence
after most Western combat troops withdraw in 2014.
Under the deal, Afghan authorities would have control over
prisoners taken in night raids and would decide whether to allow
U.S. interrogators access to detainees, a senior government
official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
A warrant would be needed before operations were approved,
with Afghan and supporting U.S. forces required to apply to an
Afghan judge. Analysts have said such changes may delay
operations and reduce their impact.
There is growing sensitivity in Afghanistan over the
presence of foreign troops after a series on incidents,
including the massacre of 17 Afghan villagers for which a U.S.
soldier was charged, and the burning of copies of the Koran at a
NATO base.
(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Jack Kimball; Editing by Rob
Taylor and Ron Popeski)
