Afghanistan tells US special forces to leave restive Maidan Wardak province
Special forces told to leave restive province after reports of civilians being tortured, disappeared
The Afghan government has ordered all US special forces to leave one of its country's most restive provinces after receiving reports from local officials claiming that the elite unit is behind several cases of Afghan civilians being tortured or disappeared.
Officials in Maidan Wardak - a province bordering Kabul where security has deteriorated over the past year - had presented evidence to President Hamid Karzai alleging that nine people disappeared after US special forces raided their homes.
US special forces were also accused of involvement in the death of a university student whose tortured remains were found days after he went missing.
"People have been complaining about US special-forces units torturing and killing people in that province, and nine individuals were taken from their homes recently, and they have just disappeared and no one knows where they have gone," presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said.
Senior Afghan security officials made the decision yesterday at their weekly meeting, chaired by Karzai. Faizi said the government had been made aware of the allegations months ago.
The International Security Assistance Force in Kabul said it was aware of the order, but it declined to provide further information. It was also unable to confirm the number of US special forces in Maidan Wardak.