阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊呼吁美军从阿富汗乡村撤退，迁到他们的基地去。本周早些时候，据称一名美军在阿富汗南部开枪击毙了16名平民。
卡 尔扎伊还对到访的美国国防部长帕内塔说，阿富汗政府希望在2013而非按计划在2014年完全掌控该国的安全局势。这位阿富汗领导人星期四在喀布尔的会谈 中对帕内塔说，“阿富汗现在准备好承担所有的安全责任”。帕内塔说，他有信心，美国和阿富汗将就2014年国际作战部队离开阿富汗后美军在该国的长期军事 存在达成一项协议。美国还在卡塔尔的会谈中努力与塔利班达成一项旨在结束阿富汗10年战争的协议。但是，这个叛乱组织星期四发表声明说，它暂停了与美国的 接触，直到“美国人澄清他们在此问题上的立场”为止。美国国防部长帕内塔星期四对记者说，他对两国政府就夜间突袭问题达成协议感到乐观。夜间突袭是拟议中 的美国与阿富汗战略协议的主要障碍。卡尔扎伊总统希望结束此类联军行动，他认为，这些行动导致平民伤亡。
两位领导人还讨论了上星期日 据称坎大哈省的一名美军开枪打死16名阿富汗平民一事。死者中包括许多儿童。目前这名美军参谋军士姓名尚未公布，也没有被起诉。他星期三晚间乘飞机从阿富 汗被送往科威特。美军驻阿富汗的副指挥官柯蒂斯.斯卡帕罗迪说，这名嫌疑人被转移，以确保进行“适当的审讯前监禁，并移交司法部门”。五角大楼发言人说， 转移这名军人并不一定意味着不会在阿富汗对他进行审判。很多阿富汗人要求在阿富汗审判这名美军。星期四在南部城市卡拉特，抗议者高呼反美口号，呼吁公正， 并要求这名被控的美国士兵在阿富汗接受公开审判。帕内塔星期三访问了阿富汗南部地区。他说，最近在阿富汗发生的暴力事件，包括美国军人射杀平民事件在内， 都不会阻止美国在阿富汗继续执行任务。帕内塔说，美国军人杀害平民事件“极其棘手”，但他表示，这一事件并不反映北约军队的整体表现。
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for U.S. troops to pull back from Afghan villages and relocate to their bases following the killing of 16 civilians in southern Afghanistan earlier this week, allegedly by a U.S. soldier. Mr. Karzai also told visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the Afghan government wants to take full control of the country's security in 2013 rather than 2014, as planned. ?During Thursday's talks in Kabul, the Afghan leader told Panetta, "Afghanistan is ready to take over all security responsibilities now."
Panetta said Thursday he is confident that the United States and Afghanistan will reach a deal on the long-term U.S. presence in the country after international combat troops leave Afghanistan in 2014. ? The United States is also said to be in talks in Qatar with the Taliban to work out a political settlement to the decade-long Afghan war. ?However, the insurgent group issued a statement Thursday saying it was suspending contacts with the U.S. until "the Americans clarify their stance on the issues." U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta told reporters Thursday he was optimistic that the two governments will come to an agreement on the issue of night raids, a major obstacle in the proposed U.S.-Afghan strategic deal. ?President Karzai wants an end to such coalition operations, which he says cause civilian casualties. The two officials also discussed Sunday's alleged massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, including many children, by a U.S. soldier in Kandahar province. The U.S. staff sergeant, who has not yet been named or charged, was flown out of Afghanistan to Kuwait late Wednesday. ?U.S. Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparotti, the deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the suspect was moved to ensure "both proper pre-trial confinement and access to legal services." A Pentagon spokesman ((Navy Captain John Kirby)) said the transfer did not necessarily mean the suspect's trial would not be held in Afghanistan, as many Afghans have demanded. In the southern city of Qalat, protesters chanted anti-American slogans Thursday, calling for justice and a public trial in Afghanistan for the accused U.S. soldier. Panetta arrived in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday. ?He said the recent violence in Afghanistan, including the attack by the U.S. soldier, would not deter the U.S. from its mission in the country. ?Panetta said that while the incident was "deeply troubling," it does not reflect negatively on the behavior of NATO forces as a whole.