Afghanistan and U.S. Sign Deal on Night Raids
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ABC News(NEW YORK) — Afghanistan and the United States signed a deal on night raids on Sunday, The Washington Post reports.
Under the agreement, an Afghan force that was just created — the Afghan Special Operations Unit — will search houses and compounds to arrest suspected insurgents, and U.S. forces will provide support that is only required or requested. The deal resolved a major source of friction between the United States and President Hamid Karzai, who has repeatedly called for an end to the raids.
Around 3,000 night raids have been conducted over the past 14 months, according to U.S. officials, who also said that suspects were apprehended 81 percent of the time. Many Afghans have complained that the raids violate their privacy, create panic and result in civilian casualties.
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