Afghan president condemns burning of bodies

AFGHAN president Hamid Karzai yesterday condemned the alleged desecration of the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters by US troops, but he said mistakes happen in war and Afghans shouldn’t let it mar their impression of the US.

His apparent attempt to reduce Afghans’ anger over the incident came amid warnings by Islamic clerics of a possible violent anti-American backlash.

“Sometimes things happen in these sort of operations, during war. Soldiers make mistakes,” he told reporters in Kabul. “We are very grateful for the international community’s assistance. Their soldiers have shed their blood in our country.”