Karzai's Plan Would Give Afghan Military Greater Authority

KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai's proposal to give Afghan forces more authority over military tactics in the country "will guarantee the success of Afghanistan and the world in the war against terrorism," Culture and Information Minister Abdul Karim Khoram has told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan.

Khoram said that if the plan is rejected "it will push this conflict toward a stalemate" and "we will all lose."

Karzai's plan, a draft of which was sent to Washington and NATO this month, is a response to mounting public frustration over civilian casualties caused by NATO-led forces.

On January 25, thousands protested a U.S.-led coalition air strike that killed more than a dozen civilians.

Karzai's proposal establishes increased coordination with international forces "at the highest possible level" and gives Afghan forces alone the authority to search civilian homes and to arrest citizens.