Afghan Karzai offers condolences to raid victims' kin

SHINDAND, Afghanistan, May 16 (Reuters) President Hamid Karzai flew to western Afghanistan today to offer condolences to relatives of the dozens of civilians who Afghan officials say were killed in US-led air strikes last month.

Afghan officials say more than 50 civilians were killed and hundreds were made homeless in the raids in the western town of Shindand at the end of April. But US officials said all of the more than 130 killed were Taliban insurgents.

The deaths coincided with reports of civilian casualties in another area of Afghanistan and triggered protests demanding the expulsion of US troops and the resignation of Karzai.

Karzai flew to Shindand, near the border with Iran, and took a helicopter to look at houses that were destroyed or damaged by last month's bombings in Zerkoh village, members of his entourage said.

Under tight security, he arrived at a school yard to speak to a group of elders and relatives of those who were killed.

''I have come here to pass on my condolences to those who have lost their relatives in the bombardments,'' Karzai said.

''I am asking you people! Do you want foreign forces to go or have them stay in Afghanistan?,'' Karzai asked the crowd.

One person who answered said the U.S. and NATO troops could stay, but with conditions.

The troops must stop searching houses and coordinate anti-Taliban operations with Afghanistan's government, he said.

Karzai looked upbeat and repeated his usual assurances to the people.

''I will ask Western troops to avoid civilian casualties, stop searching people's houses and coordinate operations with the government,'' he said.

He also spoke about his government's reliance on foreign military and financial aids and his plans for refurbishing roads and supplying power to Zerkoh.

The president used the trip to again offer an olive branch to the resurgent Taliban who have stepped up their attacks in recent months following last year's bloodiest violence since the Taliban's ouster in 2001.

''Afghan Taliban are the sons of this country ... we forgive them whatever crimes they have committed. They (can) come and join the government,'' he said.

He also repeated that the current violence in Afghanistan emanated from Pakistan, the former key supporter of the Taliban.

Afghan and Pakistani forces clashed on the border at the weekend in the most serious and deadliest skirmishes for decades between the two uneasy neighbours.

Islamabad says Afghans opened fire while Kabul says Pakistani forces had seized some areas on the Afghan side of the border.

The two countries, which have historical differences over the long and ill-defined border region, accuse each other of not doing enough to fight the Taliban.

REUTERS ABM ND1934