Afghan president visits town of Marjah just seized from Taliban, hears complaints from elders

Afghan president visits town seized from Taliban

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Afghan President Hamid Karzai is visiting the town of Marjah and hearing complaints from residents about the actions of Afghan and international troops who recently seized it from the Taliban in a major offensive.

Karzai, along with NATO commander U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, met Sunday with about 300 elders in a mosque in the central part of the town.

They complained — sometimes shouting — about house searches conducted by the military, and civilian casualties that occurred during the offensive. They told Karzai that they want Afghan troops — not international forces or local policemen — searching houses.

The elders also said that they want clinics and schools, and are losing patience with the war and the central government’s inability to provide services.