Anti US Protest In Shindland

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Saturday, the Afghan protesters chanted slogans in condemnation of the US-led foreign military presence in the country and demanded the swift release of an Afghan citizen detained earlier in the western province of Heart, IRIB reported.

The town's governor has confirmed the arrest of the unnamed civilian, saying that negotiations are underway to free the incarcerated citizen.

US forces have yet to comment on the latest episode in the region.

Thousands of civilians have lost their lives in attacks by US-led NATO forces occupying Afghanistan since 2001 in purported efforts to bring security to the war-ravaged nation.

The western military alliance often claims that their operations target militants, but most of their victims on the ground turn out to be civilians.

In face of the growing civilian casualties, the Afghan government has recently renewed calls for further measures to avoid civilian deaths during US-led military operations.

Civilian casualties have been a frequent source of tensions between Kabul and the US-led foreign forces. The United Nations says the death toll of Afghan civilians this year is 20 percent higher than in 2009, with over 2,400 civilians killed in the country from January to September.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a newly released report that civilians continue to bear the brunt of intensified armed conflicts in Afghanistan. He pointed out that Afghan civilian casualties, including deaths and injuries, have increased by 20 percent in the first 10 months of 2010 compared to the same period last year.