The White House said Thursday that it shared Afghan President Hamid Karzai's concerns over Afghan civilian deaths in US-led operations but blamed the Taliban militia for putting them "in harm's way."
"The issue of civilian casualties is always one of significant concern," spokesman Tony Snow told reporters amid protests in Afghanistan over a weekend strike said to have killed about 50 civilians.
Asked about Karzai's warning that Afghans' patience for such incidents "is wearing thin," Snow said "we're continuing to address those concerns and we understand and appreciate them, and we're working with our allies and with the Afghan government on it."
"It's one of the hallmarks of US military doctrine that we take every precaution, not only through doctrine, but also through technology, to try to spare the lives of innocent civilians," he said.
"Unfortunately, the Taliban has had the -- has not only been attacking civilians, but also deliberately placing them in harm's way," said the spokesman.
Karzai called top military and diplomatic officials to his palace on Wednesday to warn "the patience of the Afghan people is wearing thin with the continued killing of innocent civilians."
"Civilian deaths and arbitrary decisions to search people's houses have reached an unacceptable level and Afghans cannot put up with it any longer," he said in a statement released after the meeting.
