US commander must enforce Afghan attack rules: UN

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The new commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan will have to ensure respect for rules set by his predecessor that have cut the number of civilian casualties despite recent bloodshed, a UN envoy said.
UN envoy for Afghanistan Kai Eide said in an interview in Islamabad on Tuesday that outgoing commander Gen David McKiernan had made tremendous efforts to establish rules for the use of air power and cut the number of civilian casualties.
With US reinforcements on the way and fighting expected to intensify, it was vital that new commander Lt-Gen Stanley McChrystal ensured the rule were kept, Eide said.
A spokesman for Karzai said earlier he hoped the new commander would take more steps to reduce civilian deaths.
UN envoy Eide said he did not believe a ban on the use of air power, as demanded by Karzai, was the right step. But rules on air power had to be reviewed in light of the Farah incident and kept under constant observation.
Eide, in Pakistan for a two-day regional economic conference on Afghanistan beginning on Wednesday, welcomed an improvement in relations between the uneasy neighbours.