Karzai Calls for Afghans to Take Over Night Raids, 7 Dead in Suicidal Blast

VoA News: Afghanistan's president has called for NATO forces to stop conducting “special operations and night raids.”  In a statement Saturday, Hamid Karzai said Afghan forces should conduct these missions itself. Mr. Karzai has criticized NATO's nighttime raids, which are unpopular among Afghans, and are blamed by many Afghans for causing civilian deaths.

But NATO defended the raids Saturday, saying they are necessary to gain ground against the leaders of the Taliban insurgency. The statement said NATO would work with Afghan forces to eventually transition the raids from NATO-led with Afghan participation, to Afghan-led.

Meanwhile, a suicide bomber struck a governor's compound in northern Afghanistan.  A VOA reporter said the blast occured Saturday morning at the Takhar province governor's house. Details are still emerging but casualties have been reported.

A suicide bomber has struck a governor's compound in northern Afghanistan, killing at least seven.  The spokesperson for Takhar province told VOA nine people were also wounded in the explosion in Takhar province's Taloqan city Saturday morning, including the governor.

The spokesperson said General Dawood Dawood, the police commander in northern Afghanistan, is among the dead. He said a provincial police chief was among those killed.