Foreign forces in occupied Afghanistan have caused more than $100 million damage to fruit crops and homes during offensive in southern Kandahar province, a government delegation said on Tuesday.
In November, the Afghan Rights Monitor (ARM), a human rights group, reported widespread damage to hundreds of houses in the same three districts, home to about 300,000 of the province's more than one million inhabitants.
Tens of thousands of foreign forces are deployed in Kandahar where they have been conducting military offensives over the past year.
The government delegation, led by President Hamid Karzai's adviser, Mohammad Sadiq Aziz, said foreign forces caused unreasonable damage to homes and orchards, just as the harvest was about to begin, and displaced a number of people.
ISAF was not immediately available for comment on the report by the government delegation, which presented its findings to Karzai on Tuesday.
"The Omid (Hope) military operation, which has been going on for some time in Arghandab, Zhari, and Panjwai districts, has inflicted severe damage to the people," Aziz said in a statement released by Karzai's office.
Aziz said several Afghans detained by foreign troops during the operation had been released after requests were made by the government delegation.
Kandahar's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture and the province is particularly known for its crops of pomegranates, grapes and wheat.
The statement added that the delegation had urged Karzai "to urgently raise the issue with NATO forces and find a solution".
PHOTO CAPTION
Photo taken on July 14, 2010 shows a reservist with the Royal Canadian Dragoons manning a reconnaissance patrol observation post in Panjwayi district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
Source: Agencies