I'm liable for Afghan casualties: Obama
Thu, 13 May 2010 03:06:39 GMT
US President Barack Obama says he is "ultimately accountable" for civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
He made the remarks at a White House news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday.
Obama also said that civilian deaths are "something that I have to carry with me" and that it is not something he takes lightly.
However, the US is doing everything possible to prevent civilian casualties in the war, he added.
He went on to say that the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are caused by terrorist acts by the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Wednesday that the number of civilians killed by US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has risen this year.
Citing NATO statistics, the Pentagon said US and NATO forces killed 90 civilians from January to April — a 76 percent rise from the 51 deaths in the same period during 2009.
Some legal experts say Obama could be prosecuted for civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Given the scale of the +carnage, the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot be viewed as a matter of unfortunate accidents, but rather constitute a deliberate reign of terror that is being imposed by Washington and Obama's policy, one analyst said.
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Best Regards,
Syed Raheel Naqvi
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