Afghan leader: U.S. must stop targeting Taliban

Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized the U.S. and British conduct of the war in Afghanistan, insisting that his government must be accorded the lead in policy decisions.

In a New York Times interview publishon Saturday, Karzai said he wanted U.S. forces to stop arresting suspected Taliban members and their sympathizers, saying that fear of arrest along with past mistreatment were discouraging them from coming forward and laying down their arms.

"It has to happen," he said of the end to such arrests. Karzai also said in the interview conducted on Friday that he did not have specific details about alleged mistreatment of people in custody. msnbc