Hundreds of Afghans protested in the streets of Kabul Thursday, calling for the immediate withdrawal of international forces from the country ahead of the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion.
People gathered in the Afghan capital, carrying placards that condemned the invasion and blamed the United States and its allies for civilian deaths. During the march, some protesters set a U.S. flag on fire.
The demonstration was meant to mark the 10th anniversary of the October 7, 2001, invasion of Afghanistan, which ousted the Taliban regime.
There are currently more than 130,000 international troops in Afghanistan, with the majority from the United States.
The coalition has begun handing over full security responsibility to Afghanistan's army and police in a gradual process that will see all foreign combat troops leaving the country by the end of 2014.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he believed the transition process was "on track" and would "not be derailed." But since the process began earlier this year, insurgents have carried out a number of high-profile attacks and targeted killings.
In the latest attack Thursday, militants opened fire on a civilian bus, killing a man and a child and wounding 16 others in southern Helmand province. The commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, U.S. General John Allen, joined President Hamid Karzai in condemning the attack.
A day earlier, the Afghan intelligence agency announced it had arrested six people in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate President Karzai.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
