Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned photographs of U.S. soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of Afghan insurgent bombers as "inhuman" on Thursday, calling for a rapid transition from NATO to Afghan security to prevent more such incidents.

The pictures dealt a further blow to U.S.-Afghan relations at a time when Washington is trying to sign a strategic deal with Karzai on a presence in the country after the 2014 pullout of most foreign combat troops.

"The Afghan president emphasized that the only way to prevent such bitter experiences in the future is a quick and complete security transition from foreign forces," said a statement from Karzai's office.

"Afghanistan can take its destiny into its own hands very soon and in this country there will not be any bad actions by foreign troops."

Karzai called the two-year-old photographs, taken by U.S. paratroopers in 2010, an "inhuman act" and said it was "disgusting" to pose in that way with dead bodies.

Ties between Karzai and his Western backers have been strained over a series of blunders, including U.S. troops inadvertently burning copies of the Koran, as well as the killing of 17 villagers for which a U.S. soldier was charged.

Those incidents have helped fuel anti-Western sentiment in the country ahead of a crucial May meeting in the U.S. city of Chicago to discuss the future size and funding for Afghan security forces beyond the 2014 NATO exit deadline.