Afghans Protest Against America After Latest Raid, Reuters Conveniently Omits Name of New President

You see, now they're simply protesting against the United States. None of this apparently has anything to do with Barack Obama. No burning puppet heads of Obama, no Death to Obama posters, in fact, nary a mention of Obama whatsoever.

How convenient.

Thousands of Afghans protested against President Hamid Karzai and the United States on Sunday over reports of fresh civilian deaths caused by U.S.-led troops during a raid against Taliban militants.

The issue of civilian casualties is sensitive in Afghanistan and has eroded public support for Karzai's government and the foreign troops backing it.

It has also caused a rift between Karzai and his Western allies more than seven years after U.S.-led and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban's government.

The operation causing the latest controversy happened this week in eastern Laghman province. The U.S. military said on Saturday that troops, backed by air support, had killed 15 militants in an overnight operation.

Assadullah Wafa, a Karzai adviser investigating the deaths, said on Sunday that "16 civilians, many of them children and women, were killed" in the operation.

"We strongly condemn it and want an end to it (civilian casualties)," he told reporters in Mehtar Lam, Laghman's provincial capital, where the protest was held.

A statement from the presidential palace quoted Karzai as saying that bombing villages and causing civilian deaths "will not bear any progress in the war against terrorism.