NEW YORK (TIP): Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants a letter written by US President Barack Obama that will acknowledge military mistakes made during 12-year war in his country in return for allowing American counterterrorism raids on private Afghan homes, a media report said. Karzai’s spokesman Aimal Faizi has said the letter would be tantamount to an apology, though not directly using that word, a report in the New York Times said.
In return for a letter from Obama, that will be a display of contrition by the President for military mistakes that have hurt Afghans, Karzai would end his strong opposition to American counterterrorism raids on private Afghan homes, an issue that has become very contentious between the two allies. According to Faizi, US secretary of state John Kerry has offered to write the letter but Karzai wants the letter from Obama instead. Faizi said Kerry has agreed to those terms, the NYT report added. However, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice has flatly denied that there would be any presidential apology.