Anti-US feeling fed by "heavy handed" US troops

CNN International Headline news interviewed The Independent correspondent in Kabul Nick Meo, who claimed that the US image in Afghanistan is severely tarnished, not just for the recent story of desecration of the Muslim holy book. He claims that the biggest issue with civilians are the rough raids by US soldiers, in which Afghan property is often mistreated, and men are often wrongly detained. Meo claims that the US military has responded to the recent riots over Koran desecration by promising reforms to its search procedures.

Breathing a dose of truth into the 'know-it-all' international news network, Meo said there is little independent media or human rights investigation in large areas of Afghanistan, including most of the South, considered still "Taliban" infested. Meo told the audience that Afghan human rights organizations have long protested the excessive use of force by US troops and their detention procedures.

In his reporting for The Independent, he writes that even Karzai is beginning to speak out about US "heavy-handedness."

... [Karzai] seemed to be bowing to a growing mood of popular anger with American military tactics and uneasiness over how long bases will remain on Afghan soil. He promised to correct "mistakes" made by US forces, especially intrusive searches of village homes by American troops in areas where the Taliban insurgency continues.

Searching homes for weapons is a highly contentious issue in the southern and eastern Pushtun tribal areas, especially when soldiers barge into womens' quarters, a deeply insulting act in tribal culture. The military has tried to soothe anger, training female soldiers to search.

Afghans also complain that innocent villagers are frequently arrested and taken to Guantanamo Bay or the interrogation centre north of Kabul at Bagram if they are unlucky enough to be in the vicinity of attacks on US soldiers or if they are the victim of faulty intelligence.