A bad day in news from Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that NATO was killing too many Afghan civilians, and the Dutch government collapsed over whether to extend the country’s 1,600-troop commitment. In an impassioned speech, Karzai held up a picture of an 8-year-old girl who he said was the only one left to search for the bodies of her 12 relatives after a NATO rocket struck their home during the Marja offensive. The civilian death toll from the operation is at least 16. Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said the second-largest party has quit his governing coalition after insisting that the Netherlands stick to its withdrawal timeline in southern Afghanistan. He made no mention of elections.
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