Afghan protesters clash with US troops in Kabul
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:21PM GMT
Hundreds of Afghan protesters have pelted American forces with stones and torched a fuel tanker near a US military base in the capital city of Kabul.
The violent clashes broke out as a group of Afghans was rallying for land rights on the road that links Kabul to Jalalabad city. Meanwhile, a convey of US military vehicles arrived at the scene and tried to get past into the nearby base.
The US troops started firing into the air to disperse the protesters. The gunfire further enraged the protesters and turned the rally into an anti-US protest.
The developments come as Washington is trying to defuse tensions with Kabul over the recent opening of a Taliban office in Qatar.
The US special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins will be talking with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Monday.
The Afghan government has reacted angrily to the opening of the Taliban office which is backed by the US.
In response, Kabul suspended talks with Washington on a proposed security agreement. Afghan officials say they want to lead any talks with the militants and that Taliban’s Qatar office contradicts earlier US security guarantees.
Angry Afghan demonstrators have also staged numerous protest rallies against the presence of foreign troops in various parts of their country in recent months.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but after more than 11 years, insecurity remains across the country.
JR/SS
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