KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. and NATO forces, facing tougher rules of engagement in Afghanistan, will be restricted from staging nighttime raids there, a U.S. official told CNN.
Citing a new classified directive to the coalition forces which he had seen, the official said the document is signed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, who has been insisting on the need to reduce civilian casualties as it only helps Taliban propaganda efforts.
The directive, while noting the troops always have the right to defend themselves, is also designed to sustain Afghan public support for the war effort, the report said.
Nighttime raids on private homes are conducted to flush out suspected insurgents but the report said they have become a problem as they are seen as a privacy violation in the Afghan culture.
The official told CNN the directive orders forces to use Afghan troops for nighttime raids "whenever possible" and to knock on doors of homes and compounds. The forces would be required to "conduct an analysis" to determine if a nighttime raid is militarily essential or whether it can be put off until morning while keeping the target under surveillance.
The forces also can seek the help of village elders to find out if a home or compound poses a threat, the official said.
The report said McChrystal also is updating another directive to minimize civilian casualties.
