US, Afghans nearing deal on night raids

"An agreement is days away," a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The deal on night raids could be announced as soon as this week, paving the way for a strategic partnership agreement governing the future of US forces beyond 2014, when the bulk of American and NATO troops are due to withdraw, US officials said.
The deal taking shape would put Afghans in the lead for night raids and call for Afghan judges to issue warrants for the operations, officials said.

Negotiators from both governments were working out a final sticking point over how long US forces would be allowed to detain suspects picked up in the raids, a US official said.

The memorandum of understanding on night raids would allow Karzai to demonstrate he was bolstering Afghan sovereignty without forcing a halt to operations, the official said.

A Pentagon spokesman expressed optimism Tuesday that a deal was near.

"We believe we're making progress in heading toward an agreement on this and a broad range of other issues," Pentagon press secretary George Little told a news conference.

Despite Karzai's criticism that the raids amount to harassment of local communities, NATO has defended the operations as the safest way of targeting insurgent leaders.

An agreement that will outline the role of US forces beyond 2014 had been held up by disagreements over night raids and the future of detainees held at a US-run prison. 

A memorandum on night raids should remove the last obstacle to final negotiations on a long-term security agreement, which US officials hope to ink in time for a NATO summit in May in Chicago.