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The Afghan government has demanded that US Special Forces leave a strategic province that lies just to the west of Kabul, claiming in a written statement that American soldiers operating in the region have been 鈥渢orturing and even murdering innocent people.鈥� The US-led coalition denies the claims.

The Afghan government鈥檚 announcement, which was made on Sunday, ordered Special Forces from the United States 鈥� but not necessarily other countries 鈥� to immediately cease operations in Wardak Province and to entirely聽leave the area within two weeks.

In a press conference following the release of the statement, Aimal Faizi, the spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, suggested that Afghan nationals working with US Special Forces were thought to have committed the violent acts against civilians, not necessarily American soldiers themselves. But the order for US Special Forces to withdraw from Wardak remains intact.

Given Wardak鈥檚 proximity to Kabul, the prospect of an American departure from the province has raised concern about how security might be affected in the capital city. Just hours before the Afghan government鈥檚 announcement Sunday, Afghan security forces shot dead a suicide bomber who was targeting an intelligence agency office located in Kabul鈥檚 diplomatic quarter. Coordinated suicide bombs in two other eastern cities killed three and injured seven within hours of the foiled Kabul attack.

鈥淭his decision will have a huge impact on the security situation in Kabul,鈥� says Waliullah Rahmani, a security analyst with the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies. 鈥淲ardak is one of the most volatile provinces. It is a center for the insurgency, which is mainly focused on Kabul.... I don't know why the Afghan president has come to reach such a risky decision.鈥�

The Afghan government cited two examples of alleged abuses by US Special Forces, including one in which nine people 鈥渨ere disappeared鈥� and another in which a student was taken from his home and found dead two days later, his throat slit. Such episodes have generated 鈥渞esentment and hatred鈥� among the people living in Wardak Province, a government statement said.

Coalition disputes claims

The US-led coalition says that such claims are unfounded.

鈥淲e looked into the allegations and found no supporting evidence for them,鈥� Brig. Gen. G眉nter Katz, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told a press conference in Kabul on Monday morning.

鈥淎fghan officials and ISAF officials are planning talks to discuss the allegations of wrongdoing that were announced yesterday,鈥� he added. 鈥淚SAF takes all allegations of misconduct seriously.鈥澛�

Wardak Province is a mountainous region whose eastern border lies just 25 miles to the west of Kabul. The province has been the scene of a number of insurgent attacks since the Taliban gained control of Wardak鈥檚 remote Tangi Valley nearly two years ago.

The Taliban shot down a US military helicopter in Wardak in August 2011, killing 38 US and Afghan soldiers. An American woman and her Canadian husband disappeared from the region in October of last year; they haven鈥檛 been heard from since.聽

Whether or not US Special Forces leave Wardak within two weeks, they will almost certainly be out of the province by the end of 2014, in accordance with international plans to withdraw foreign troops and allow Afghan forces to take control of the country鈥檚 security.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Katz stressed that those plans are still moving ahead.

鈥淭he [Afghan National Security Forces] are doing very well in pressuring the insurgency,鈥� Katz said. 鈥淭he transition process is very well on track and the Afghans are fighting well.鈥�

To the people of Wardak, the transition may not come soon enough.

鈥淭he US Special Forces have made things more dangerous here,鈥� Saeed Hashem, a pharmacist, said by phone from Wardak, adding that many people in the region are afraid to leave their houses for fear of potential attacks. 鈥淭he Afghan forces should take over control,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen that happens, we will be able to defeat the Taliban and the other enemy groups, and Wardak will be safe.鈥�