The US and Afghanistan signed an agreement on controversial night raids, resolving a key sticking point in efforts to formulate a long-term strategic partnership agreement (New York Times, 8 April). The agreement gives Afghan Special Forces authority to carry out night raids, with help from US troops provided "only as required or requested".
The agreement places a key NATO anti-insurgent tactic under wide-ranging Afghan control. It also removes the last major obstacle to finalising a longer term US-Afghan agreement which would see America commit to keeping troops and aid in the country after 2014.
Afghan officials portrayed the agreement, signed on Sunday afternoon in a memorandum of understanding, as a significant concession by Washington. US officials stressed that 40% of raids were already led by Afghan forces and 97% were joint operations and hence the agreement only echoed a handover which was already under way.
Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan defence minister, said "This is another important step in strengthening the sovereignty of Afghanistan". The raids have been a source of tension between the allies for many years and Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for them to be ended. NATO's top commander in the country, US Marine General John Allen, said "Today we are one step closer to the establishment of the US-Afghan strategic partnership. Most importantly, today we are one step closer to our shared goal and vision of a secure and sovereign Afghanistan".
The tactic has been favoured by NATO generals who credit the raids with stalling or reversing the insurgency in parts of the country and locking up hundreds of Taliban commanders and bomb makers.
Under the deal Afghan authorities will now have the power to veto raids, control over any prisoners taken during such raids and decision-making powers as to whether to allow US interrogators access to detainees. A joint US-Afghan committee will decide which raids to carry out and an Afghan judge must then review its recommendation and decide whether to issue a warrant.
A US military officer close to the negotiations said: "If Afghans don't want to do something, we are not going to force them to do it”, adding "It's based fundamentally on co-operation. This is the definition of transition. If you don't believe we are serious about transition, then this is what it's about".
A separate agreement signed last month handed control of the US prison at Bagram to Kabul, removing the other stumbling block to the strategic pact.
Both countries now hope to sign a broader strategic partnership deal before next month's NATO Chicago Summit.