US forces assail Taliban for suffering of Afghans

KABUL said on Wednesday they were striving for precision in their operations.

In a statement, the US forces said: “We hold ourselves to the highest standards of accuracy and accountability.  We strive for precision in all of our operations.

“We reserve the right of self-defense of our forces as well as the Afghan security forces,” the US military argued.

The statement added the best way to end the suffering of non-combatants was to end the fighting through an agreed-upon reduction in violence on all sides.

“The Taliban are ultimately responsible for the suffering and deaths of their fellow Afghans as long as they ignore demands for peace,” it added.

For the first time in the 18-year conflict, more civilians have been killed by Afghan and international forces than by militants, the UN mission said in a quarterly report.

Foreign and pro-government forces were blamed for the deaths of 305 civilians and rebel outfits for 227 people in the first three months of 2019.

nh/mud

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