NATO commander says Karzai speech put troops at risk

PanARMENIAN.Net - International troops in Afghanistan have been put at risk after an "inflammatory speech" by President Hamid Karzai, NATO's commander warned, according to BBC News.

At the weekend, Karzai accused the U.S. and the Taliban of colluding to prolong the conflict in the country.

"His remarks could be a catalyst for some to lash out against our forces," U.S. and NATO forces commander Gen Joseph Dunford said in a leaked email.

International troops are scheduled to end combat missions in 2014.

In a nationally televised speech, President Karzai referred to two Taliban attacks on Saturday in Khost and Kabul that left 19 people dead. He suggested both the U.S. and Taliban were trying to convince Afghans the situation would worsen after 2014.

In a message sent to senior military commanders, Gen Dunford said the comments might encourage Afghan security forces to attack foreign soldiers.

"President Karzai may issue orders that put our forces at risk," he wrote in the alert, known as a command threat advisory.

Gen Dunford's warning was made public after the New York Times obtained a copy of his mail. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which oversees operations in Afghanistan, said the commander's email was "prudent".

"It's making sure the force is seeing the same thing we're seeing. It's our job to alert the force," an ISAF spokesman said.

Some diplomats believe President Karzai's comments are part of an effort to harden his nationalist credentials with the Afghan people.

Karzai is often criticized by the Taliban, for being a puppet of Western governments.

There are about 66,000 US military personal at present in the country. Early next year that figure will drop to 34,000. The number of international troops that will remain after 2014 is still to be determined.