Afghanistan condems Australian military for killing alleged civilians

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Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has condemned the Australian military over a raid in which two Afghan men were killed. Australian soldiers had been searching for the rogue Afghan sergeant who shot dead three Australian soldiers last week, and during their mission they captured a suspected insurgent leader who is thought to have helped the killer to escape. The Australian Defence Department says the two men who died during that operation were also suspected insurgents, but villagers have told the media they were civilians. The bodies of the five soldiers who died last week in the deadliest day for Australian forces since Vietnam are returning home. They were farewelled by their comrades in a ceremony at Tarin Kowt. Capturing Sergeant Hek Matullah, the Afghan soldier suspected of shooting Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate, remains a high priority. Sergeant Hek Matullah escaped from the patrol base straight after the killings and he's suspected to have been aided by the Taliban. After an extensive search Australian troops aided by Afghan forces have detained a suspected insurgent they say helped with the escape. But the raid has come at a cost. Two Afghan men were killed by Australian troops. The ADF says all the proper rules of engagement were followed but Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai is furious. Local reports say those killed were a 70 year old Imam and his son. It's also been reported that the Australian troops detained a number of locals, including a woman, during the operation. President Karzai says the Australian forces acted unilaterally and he wants a full inquiry into the situation. The latest incidents have highlighted the problems "green on blue" killings are causing for western forces in Afghanistan. At least 45 Western soldiers have died at the hands of Afghan allies this year. Now ISAF has suspended the training of new recruits to the Afghan local police. NATO spokesman Colonel Thomas Collins: THOMAS COLLINS: As you know we've had a problem here with some security challenges. Eventually there will be a tightening of the vetting procedures across the force and we've already begun working with the Afghan government on how we can make the vetting process better. MICHAEL EDWARDS: Complaints about Afghan local police range from corruption within its ranks to allegations its members rape and kill innocent civilians. Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch in Afghanistan says it's a program with a range of serious problems. HEATHER BARR: First is with the vetting, which is the issue that's come up today and has finally caused a reaction. There are also serious problems with the command and control structures for the Afghan local police as well as in terms of accountability mechanisms for what's in place when something goes wrong. MICHAEL EDWARDS: ISAF has high hopes that the Afghan local police will be an effective force against the Taliban at a local level after 2014. But Heather Barr is sceptical that it can be turned into an efficient and reliable counterbalance to the insurgents. HEATHER BARR: It's really difficult to repair a program at this stage and especially with this 2014 deadline looming. So it's certainly big news that the US has seen that there are issues and is working to resolve them. But it's frustrating indeed that it took so long and that there are so many abuses and lives that have been lost in the process. MICHAEL EDWARDS: ISAF says it could take a couple of months before training of Afghan local police recruits resumes. It says training of other Afghan security forces - including the army - continues.