Will take action if NATO strikes kill civilians: Karzai

President Hamid Karzai warned NATO that Afghans will no longer tolerate airstrikes that result in civilian casualties.

RAY RIVERA

President Hamid Karzai warned NATO on Tuesday that Afghans will no longer tolerate airstrikes that result in civilian casualties. If they continue, he said,we will be forced to take unilateral action in this regard.

The Afghan president declined to offer specifics on what actions the government would take,saying only that Afghanistan has a lot of ways of stopping it. He said NATO forces were on the verge of being considered occupiers rather than allies. If they continue their attacks on our houses,then their presence will change from a force that is fighting against

terrorism to a force that is fighting against the people of Afghanistan, he said,And in that case,history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.

NATO officials,for their part,responded diplomatically,saying they would continue to work with the Afghan government to reduce civilian casualties. General Petraeus has repeatedly noted that every liberation force has to be very conscious that it can,over time,become seen as an occupation force, Rear Admiral Vic Beck,a spokesman for NATO-led military coalition,said in a statement,referring to Gen David H Petraeus,the top coalition commander in Afghanistan.