New rules to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan

The commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, issued new guidelines to troops yesterday, emphasising the need to avoid civilian casualties, Nato said.
"The directive firmly places the presence of civilians at the centre of every decision involving the use of force" and ensures "that some areas that may have led to misperceptions are clarified," a statement said.
Before using force, commanders must make sure that no civilians are present, according to the new rules, except in cases of self-defence.
Petraeus also emphasised the need to partner at all times with Afghan troops, whose training and development is seen as crucial to Western troops being able to hand over security responsibility and draw down their presence.
Petraeus took over command of more than 140,000 US and Nato troops in Afghanistan on July 4 from sacked US General Stanley McChrystal.
Civilian casualties caused by foreign troops are hugely controversial in the nearly nine-year Afghan war. Reducing the number of such incidents is seen as crucial to a US-led counter-insurgency strategy designed to end the conflict.