KABUL: US President Barack Obama expressed "deep regret" to President Hamid Karzai over recent civilian deaths in military operations in Afghanistan during a call, Karzai's office said Thursday.
On Wednesday, the US commander of international troops in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said he was "deeply sorry" after nine civilians died in a coalition air strike in Kunar province, northeast Afghanistan, Tuesday.
Karzai says those who died were nine young children out collecting firewood and has warned that international troops in Afghanistan face "huge problems" if the "daily killing of innocent civilians" does not stop.
The Afghan president discussed the deaths with his US counterpart in a call Wednesday, his office said in a statement, and told him that "increasing civilian casualties" posed a "serious problem." Karzai has previously argued that such incidents can drain support away from his administration and towards the Taliban.
US President Barack Obama expressed "deep regret" to President Hamid Karzai over recent civilian deaths in military operations in Afghanistan during a call, Karzai's
highlighting tensions between Karzai and the West before a planned limited withdrawal of foreign troops from July.
The Afghan police and army are due to take control of security in the country in 2014, allowing most international troops in Afghanistan, which currently number 140,000, to withdraw.
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