Australia says Karzai 'wrong' on Afghan operation

SYDNEY: Australia Monday flatly rejected comments from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that a recent night-time raid which left two men dead was carried out without the approval of local authorities.

Kabul had slammed Australia over the mission, carried out in the wake of last week's killing of three Australian troops by a rogue Afghan soldier, describing it as a "unilateral military operation". "The president condemns the operation as a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Afghanistan and NATO on the special military operations," Karzai's office said in a statement.

But Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the operation in restive Uruzgan province had full authorisation, was conducted jointly with 60 Australians and 80 Afghan troops, and had followed the established rules of engagement.

"The statement that has been issued by President Karzai's palace over the weekend in Kabul that this operation was not authorised is wrong," Smith said. "That is not factually correct, and this point has been made strongly by Australia's ambassador to Afghanistan to palace and presidential officials."

Smith said Australia was "disappointed" by Karzai's comments, describing the situation as a "misunderstanding". The operation, which was authorised by the governor and police chief of Uruzgan where some 1,500 Australian troops are based, was aimed at capturing the Afghan accused of killing the three Australian soldiers, he said. He said two insurgents had been killed and a third detained during the raid. The man in custody was suspected of having helped or sought to help the Afghan soldier, Hekmatullah, flee after he allegedly gunned down three Australian troops last week.