The alliance said many Taliban insurgents who had hijacked the tankers were killed but it admitted it had reports of many civilian casualties.

The Nato-led forces said they regretted “any unnecessary loss of human life”.

President Hamid Karzai said targeting civilians was “unacceptable” and announced his own investigation panel.

A statement from his office said the president expressed “deep sorrow for the loss of our compatriots” and “emphasised that innocent civilians must not be killed or wounded during military operations”.

Sensitive issue

Gen Stanley McChrystal, issued new guidelines recently saying much more still needed to be done to avoid civilian casualties.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said an investigation had been launched.

“Certainly, a number of Taliban were killed. There is also the possibility of civilian casualties as well.”

He added: “Civilian casualties caused by Isaf are down over 95% from last year’s levels. But, as we all know, in conflicts like these, mistakes can happen. In this case, let us now see what the investigation concludes.”

European governments expressed concern at the scale of civilian casualties in Kunduz and urged a prompt investigation.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Nato needed the commitment of the Afghan people for its mission, adding: “Obviously incidents like this undermine that.

“That’s why it’s important that we are open and clear about what happened and make sure it does not happen again.”

The number of those killed in the Kunduz strike is still not confirmed, with reports varying from 56 to 90.

The reports of the number of militants and civilians killed also varies.

Pictures from Kunduz showed members of the local community preparing some of those who died for burial, while others showed images of the injured being treated in hospitals.

The Nato attack occurred about 7km (four miles) south-west of Kunduz city at about 0200 on Friday (2130 Thursday GMT), 40 minutes after German and Afghan forces called in an air strike.

They reported the two tankers had been hijacked by insurgents as they travelled from Tajikistan to supply Nato forces in Kabul.

One of the drivers of the tankers told the BBC that two of his colleagues had been beheaded when the Taliban carried out the hijacking.

Witness Mohammad Daud, 32, told AFP the militants had been trying to transport the tankers across a river to villages in Angorbagh.

“They managed to take one of the tankers over the river. The second got stuck.”

The insurgents apparently opened valves to lighten the load and called in villages to help themselves to fuel.

At this point, the Nato air strike hit the tankers. Nato insists its commanders believed only militants were present.

When day broke, clothing, shoes, jerry cans and other debris could be seen strewn around the two stricken tankers.

Mr Daud said: “Everyone around the fuel tankers died. Nobody was in one piece. Hands, legs and body parts were scattered everywhere.”

International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) spokesman Brig Gen Eric Tremblay was later quoted by Reuters as saying: “It would appear that many civilian casualties are being evacuated and treated in the local hospitals.

The air strike came shortly before UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown delivered a key speech defending the Afghan strategy.

He said the aims of Britain and its allies there were “realistic and achievable”.

His comments referred to reports by the Indian and foreign press based on an academic paper that says Pakistan has 70 to 90 nuclear arsenals.

India’s Army Chief Deepak Kapoor: ‘We are all equally concerned about it. There is a difference between having a degree of deterrence which is required for one’s own protection and going beyond that degree of deterrence. If these news reports of having 70 to 90 atomic bombs are correct, then I think they are going well beyond the so called requirement of deterrence even. That’s something which is of concern to all of us.’

Media reports quote that the paper written for the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists in the US says that the number of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has gone up to 70-90 from 60 last year.

Recently US accused Pakistan for modifying the Harpoon anti-ship missiles that were sold to them in the 1980s as a defensive weapon.

Pakistan denied the charge and said it developed the missile, the media report said.

The accusation stems from US intelligence agencies’ detection of a suspicious missile test on April 23 which was never announced by the Pakistanis and which appeared to give it a new offensive weapon, the Times said.

The missiles and the growing nuclear weapons would bolster Pakistan’s ability to threaten India, stoking fears of heating up the two nations’ arms race, experts say

In the latest issue of party journal ‘Sandesh’, she said “a major drought situation has arisen in several districts. Our government at the Centre has taken numerous measures to respond to the situation”.

Referring to the Congress-ruled states, Gandhi said they too have initiated numerous actions in the affected areas.

“I am pleased to note that our country has a large stock of foodgrains to respond effectively to the situation. This will help prevent widespread suffering,” she added.

Warning against complacency, she said partymen and women at the grassroots must ensure that drought relief measures are implemented effectively.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake struck Java, Indonesia’s main island, at 2:55 p.m. local time. The center’s initial report, at 3:06 p.m., triggered a tsunami watch, although that was canceled 15 minutes later.

“No tsunami threat exists to coastlines in the Pacific,” the center’s official bulletin said. “However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.”

The Health Ministry said it was sending medical teams to Tasikmalaya, the town nearest the epicenter, where several buildings were reported to have collapsed, Reuters reported.

At least 27 people were injured in Jakarta, a Health Ministry official said.

In Jakarta, residents felt buildings shaking and thousands of people streamed onto the streets.

No tsunami watches, warnings or advisories were in effect by Wednesday evening, although the center urged local authorities to be aware of possible local surges and take appropriate precautions.

The most powerful recorded earthquake to hit Indonesia was on Dec. 26, 2004. The 9.1 magnitude quake off the western coast of northern Sumatra created tsunamis that rolled through the Indian Ocean and killed 227,898 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Since then, Indonesia has been hit by 29 quakes of 6.3 magnitude or higher.

In remarks that are bound to annoy New Delhi, interior minister Rehman Malik noted that India had arrested several suspects before the Mumbai attacks, and then made the preposterous claim that the attacks could have been avoided if Islamabad has received information on the arrests.

“Mumbai attacks may have never happened if India shared information with us,” said Mr Malik. He was clearly referring to the case of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Fahim Ansari who was arrested in February but his link to the Mumbai terror plot was established only after the attacks.

Mr Malik was also making these remarks in the context of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent assertion that there is credible information about Pak-based groups trying to carry out attacks in India. The interior minister urged India to share information on the possible attacks.

He further maintained that the Pakistani government would examine the fresh evidence given by India and the Interpol notice against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. The red corner notice was issued on the basis of evidence provided by India against the Lashkar founder who is the alleged mastermind behind the Mumbai terror attacks case.

“We will examine it (the Interpol notice),” Mr Malik was quoted as saying in London. He further maintained that “certain procedures” had to be followed for Pakistan to follow the Interpol notice.

Interpol had issued a notice against Saeed on Thursday following a request made by India based on the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against the Lashkar founder. India had said that the Interpol red corner notice against Saeed also vindicated the stand that Saeed was a key player in the Mumbai terror attack plot, a point that Islamabad is yet to accept.

Refusing to buckle under pressure, Pakistan has exhibited extreme reluctance to go after Saeed, who is a powerful figure in Pakistan. Apart from rhetoric, the Pakistani government is yet to reveal the outcome of its own investigations into the attacks.

In this backdrop, New Delhi, left with no choice, has continued to say that it will share more details with Islamabad on Saeed but that it was time for Islamabad to act. “We will be happy to share more details. The ball is now in Pakistan’s court,” an official source said. “It is for Pakistan to take meaningful steps in this regard.”

India had provided a fifth dossier this month to Pakistan, which is yet to respond to the dossier that is devoted to Saeed’s involvement in the plot including details of his meetings with the terrorists who carried out the attacks. In a response to the Interpol red corner notice, external affairs minister S.M. Krishna had said that Pakistan should now take action against Saeed.

Monsoon rains, the lifeline for farms that support more that half of India’s 1.1 billion people, have been patchy this year and about 40 percent of India’s districts are drought-hit.

The head of the weather office, Ajay Tyagi, said September rainfall would improve, but the four-month season since June would still be about 20 percent below normal.

That would make it the worst since 1972 when there was also a severe El Nino phenomenon, in which changes in sea temperature in the Pacific Ocean affects weather.

Low rains have ravaged India’s rice crop and hit soybean, cane and groundnut, and disrupted the flow of water into the main reservoirs that are vital for hydropower generation and winter irrigation.

Water levels in India’s main reservoirs rose to 42 percent of capacity on Aug. 27, government data showed, rising 3 percentage points in a week. The rise, smaller than a 10-year average of a rise of 5 percentage points for the week.

“Water storage in reservoirs is a very good regionalised and robust indicator of realistic rainfall in the vast catchment. It is a much better and practical parameter as compared to point estimate measured by rain-gauges,” the farm ministry says.

Reservoirs are important for hydropower, which accounts for a quarter of India’s generation capacity of about 150,000 megawatts. They also provide water to irrigate winter crops.

CROP DAMAGE

A 19 percent rain deficit in 2002 reduced India’s summer-sown harvest by 22 percent and the output of winter-sown crops by 13 percent.

This year, the cane crop in India’s top producing state of Uttar Pradesh is expected to shrink about 16 percent because of drought in most parts of the region, raising prospects of large raw sugar imports by the world’s top consumer of the sweetener.

Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said the sugar industry had agreed to provide more sugar at lower prices during the festival season in the next two months to rein in prices. [ID:nBMB008422]

India’s soybean output may drop as much as 19 percent in the new season because of failed monsoon rains, reducing soymeal export deals to a trickle, traders and industry officials said on Friday.

“We expect about 8-9 million tonnes output,” said Sandeep Bajoria, chief executive of Mumbai-based trading firm Sunvin Group and past head of many trade bodies including the Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade.

That amounts to a fall of 9 to 19 percent from last year’s production of 9.6 tonnes, and compares with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate of 10 million tonnes earlier this month.

Traders said India’s soymeal sales had slowed down because of doubts over the harvest.

As many as 1,500 people had to leave the wealthy seaside community of Rancho Palos Verdes overnight, while residents of about 870 homes were urged to voluntarily leave La Canada Flintridge, a dozen miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Water-dropping helicopters worked through the night, as the ominous red glow of flames illuminated the darkness. A lack of wind let the helicopters operate in the canyons, Los Angeles County fire Inspector Steve Zermeno said.

“When the wind starts blowing through there, it picks up a lot of speed,” he said. “Any gust of wind can blow them off course or cause them to lose control.”

The Rancho Palos Verdes fire erupted late Thursday and spread rapidly, damaging three homes and several garages and outbuildings, but crews managed to keep it from expanding overnight, Capt. Mike Brown said.

The 100-acre blaze was 35 percent contained early Friday, Zermeno said.

The wealthy communities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula south of Los Angeles are in an area known for horse trails, spectacular Pacific Ocean views, pricey real estate and exclusive golf clubs, including the Trump National Golf Club owned by Donald Trump.

The Terranea Resort, a luxury hotel a couple miles from the fire, opened its door to locals who had to evacuate, but only two families had taken advantage of the offer by midnight, said hotel spokeswoman Wendy Haase.

The fire near La Canada Flintridge began to kick up late Thursday afternoon, a day after it began in the Angeles National Forest, and flames moved slowly down the slopes of the San Gabriels. By early Friday it was estimated to cover more than 2 square miles and was about 10 percent contained.

The fire jumped a highway overnight and moved near homes, said Jennifer Sanchez, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.

Zermeno said the fire was being fought mainly from the air because the terrain was too steep for firefighters to reach it easily.

Still air meant the fire was growing slowly rather than being pushed, but “we’ll see if nature is still on our side” later in the day, Zermeno said.

The National Weather Service predicted a third day of red flag conditions of extreme fire danger for many of California’s central and southern mountain ranges because of because of low humidity and triple-digit heat that sapped moisture from grass and brush.

To the east, another fire in the San Gabriel Mountains was 60 percent contained late Thursday after burning across more than 3 square miles, Sanchez said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters aided by bulldozers and a fleet of water- and fire retardant-dropping aircraft worked the fire’s northeastern edge.

The fire, believed caused by human action began Tuesday near a dam and reservoir in San Gabriel Canyon, a half-dozen miles above the city of Azusa.

Farther north in Monterey County, 100 homes were evacuated about four miles from the community of Soledad. The fire burned more than 2,000 acres of steep grasslands, or more than 3 square miles, since it started Thursday afternoon, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. James Dellamonica said. The blaze has not been contained.

To the west, in the San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County, another fire had blackened about 1 1/2 square miles by Thursday evening and prompted authorities to issue a voluntary evacuation of 12 homes in the area near Hemet, said Forest Service fire spokeswoman Anabele Cornejo. She said about five people had left and that the fire was 5 percent contained.

U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt made the comments in a letter sent to defense lawyers, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Fouratt said a federal investigation “revealed pressure from the governor’s office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process” in awarding state bond deal work to a Richardson political contributor.

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos issued a statement Friday saying Fouratt’s letter was “nothing more than sour grapes.”

Rep. Lynn Jenkins said she was instead making a comment about GOP leaders in the House and was trying to reassure Republicans that the party has bright leaders there.

She used the phrase during an Aug. 19 forum in Hiawatha and someone in the crowd recorded it and gave the video to the Kansas Democratic Party.

Both she and an aide apologized Thursday if the comment offended anyone. Jenkins also suggested it had been taken out of context.

Even as public support has slipped for Obama’s health-care proposals, support for ambitious changes in energy policy has been steady. Although the issue of health care arouses more intense feelings than energy policy does, those who do feel strongly about energy and climate policy tend to tilt toward the administration’s position and a broad majority of people echo Democratic lawmakers’ views on the benefits of proposed changes.

Nearly six in 10 of those polled support the proposed changes to U.S. energy policy being developed by Congress and the administration. Fifty-five percent of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling the issue, compared with 30 percent who do not. A narrower majority, 52 to 43 percent, back a cap-and-trade system; that margin is unchanged since June. A cap-and-trade system would set a ceiling for the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it would allow firms to buy and sell emissions permits.

“Something definitely has to be done,” said Marian Eldridge, a former legal secretary from East Windsor, N.J., who participated in the survey. “Anything’s worth a try at this point.” She said she tries to “ignore the politics; you get discouraged.” But she said that higher energy costs were “inevitable” and that “we’re too dependent on other countries.”

Despite public support for an energy and climate bill, the prospects for legislation remain uncertain. The House narrowly passed a measure in June, but not before inserting a multitude of provisions for consumers, interest groups and corporations. The Senate remains divided over how to move forward, and getting 60 senators to back an end to debate could be difficult. Adding to that challenge is the thin public support for the cap-and-trade approach if it were to raise consumers’ costs. Although 58 percent of those polled would support the plan if it reduced greenhouse gas emissions and cost them an extra $10 a month, support drops to 39 percent if new monthly costs reached $25.

Moreover, the Senate’s calendar is crowded with legislation on a variety of matters, including health care, appropriations, an increase in the debt ceiling and the extension of a nuclear weapons treaty with Russia.

Effect on Jobs

Majorities of those surveyed say changes in energy policy would address global warming and not raise energy costs. Although many proponents of a cap-and-trade bill say it could spur job creation in the renewable-energy sector and foes say it would drive jobs overseas, a plurality of Americans — more than four out of 10 — think that the legislation would have no effect on employment in their states. Fewer than one in five say that the reform efforts would lead to job losses; more than twice as many see added jobs.

GOP criticism of the House energy and climate bill appears to have primarily influenced Republicans themselves. Among Republicans, support for cap-and-trade legislation has dipped from 45 percent to 37 percent since a poll taken in June.

“It will make the cost [of energy] go up too high for people,” said Mary Lou Pomeroy, an elementary school teacher’s assistant in Renton, Wash., near Seattle. “I think there’s a lot of people struggling and seeing their income reduced, and we don’t need things that cost more. I’m just not sure that’s our biggest issue. . . . I think health care right now is bigger. Or the huge deficit.”

Support for the plan among independents has increased slightly, with a narrow majority now in favor. Overall, a slight majority of those polled say changes to energy policy would help address global warming, while a third say they will not. A slim 5 percent volunteered that global warming is not an issue.

Obama’s goal of putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015 strikes a chord. More than eight in 10 people say they support the development of electric car technology.

Some people see the government’s Cash for Clunkers program as a symbol of energy policy, even though it is separate from the comprehensive House legislation. Nearly seven in 10 backed using cash rebates to encourage people to buy more fuel-efficient cars .

Eldridge, the New Jersey resident, said, “I think the clunker thing was a good idea. It helped get some garbage off the roads.”

Pomeroy, however, predicted that many people who traded in clunkers would be unable to make payments on their new cars. And she viewed the government’s difficulty in getting payments to dealers as symptomatic of government involvement in the economy. “I don’t think our government is all that great at efficiency,” she said.

Energy Sources

The public’s preferences regarding energy sources to meet the nation’s needs remain mostly the same as they were at the start of the decade, with a modest uptick in support for new nuclear power plants and a decline in support for building oil-, coal- or natural gas-fueled plants.

Solar and wind power enjoy near-universal support; nine in 10 people support further development. More than eight in 10 favor requirements for greater fuel efficiency. Broad majorities also favor requiring increased energy conservation from businesses and consumers.

Fifty-two percent favor building more nuclear power plants, but that support drops to 35 percent if the new plants were within 50 miles of the respondent’s home. Support for building nuclear plants is up about six percentage points since 2001.

But energy issues and the voluminous House bill remain difficult for people to understand. Fifteen percent say they have no opinion on Obama’s handling of the energy issue, whereas 5 percent say they have no opinion on health care and 2 percent lack an opinion about the economy.

The poll was conducted Aug. 13-17 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults. The results have a margin of error of three percentage points.

WHY IS CHINA ANGRY ABOUT THE DALAI LAMA’S PROPOSED VISIT?

A visit to Taiwan by the Dalai Lama brings into sharp focus two of China’s most sensitive territorial claims, over Taiwan and Tibet, and thus strikes a raw nerve.

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. The island, a former colony of Japan, came under the rule of Nationalist or Kuomintang (KMT) forces when they retreated there

in 1949 as the Communists took over the mainland.

Taiwan has been under KMT rule since, except between 2000 and 2008 when the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won presidential elections twice in a row.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959, following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Since then, he has campaigned for self-determination for his homeland, seeking the high-level autonomy for Tibet that Chinese law claims to bestow. Beijing says his demands amount to a campaign for independence

HOW COULD CHINA RESPOND?

In addition to angry words, China might curtail some meetings between officials.

But the wording of its protest indicates it is likely to avoid directly denouncing President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling KMT, with whom it is trying to build better relations with an eye to eventual reunification.

China also has to avoid making threats that raise expectations among its own people, especially the more vociferous nationalists, that it might take action to stop the visit.

So far it has reserved its ire for the opposition DPP, which invited the Dalai Lama and generally follows a more anti-China stance.

The DPP’s constituency is largely the Taiwanese, especially in Taiwan’s south, whose presence on the island dates from before 1949 and therefore have little loyalty to mainland China.

WILL THIS DAMAGE TRADE FLOWS?

Unlikely. Past behaviour indicates that China is unlikely to take steps that could directly damage trade and investment flows.

China, including Hong Kong, is Taiwan’s largest trading partner with trade on both sides totalling about $130 billion in 2008, official data from Taiwan showed.

China, with its 1.3 billion population, is also Taiwan’s favourite investment destination with Taiwanese companies investing more than $100 billion there, private estimates showed.

With China’s own export-oriented economy fragile, it is unlikely to do anything to damage investments by the many Taiwanese whose capital has fuelled mainland growth for three decades.

Zuma held talks in Harare with President Robert Mugabe, who looked well despite speculation over his health, and the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, in a bid to end feuding between the coalition partners.

But even as Zuma struck an optimistic note, new figures showed a surge in violent attacks and human rights abuses by soldiers loyal to Mugabe.

Zuma, on his first visit to Zimbabwe as South African president, told a state banquet today: “It is indeed very encouraging to note the significant progress that has been made under the auspices of the inclusive government.”

He added: “The remaining issues are not insurmountable and can be overcome. The most difficult path has already been travelled.”

Speaking at the same event, Mugabe said: “I am happy to inform you that the inclusive government is alive and well and that the three principals [including the deputy prime minister, Arthur Mutambara] are committed to its success. Indeed, a political accommodation of this nature is bound to experience teething problems.”

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change is hoping that Zuma, who is the current chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), will put pressure on Mugabe to rein in hardline supporters and fulfil his commitment to the country’s global political agreement.

Tsvangirai said after a meeting with Zuma early this morning, that he had briefed the South African leader on the “outstanding issues” of the political deal.

But in an interview with the Guardian earlier this month, Tsvangirai admitted he could not expect preferential treatment from Zuma. “He doesn’t take sides,” the prime minister said. “He is committed to ensuring all the issues of the global political agreement are implemented, because he’s chairman of SADC.

“He cannot pick and choose between Zanu-PF and MDC. What he wants to see is the strengthening of the inclusive government. He wants to see progress, he wants to see more positive outcomes.”

The politicians’ performance was criticised by non-governmental organizations. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said cases of political violence and rights abuses surged to 125 in June compared with 99 incidents recorded in May.

“The month of June saw the levels of organised violence being sustained with little indication that the Government of National Unity was committed to ending human rights violations in the country,” the forum said. “Of note in the month of June is the increase in incidents of violence reportedly perpetrated by members of the army against civilians … It is alarming that some members of the ZNA [the army] appear to be a law unto themselves and continue to harass defenceless civilians.”

Environmental organisations, trade unions, religious groups, scientists, anti-poverty campaigners and others representing tens of millions of people teamed up to put pressure for curbs on greenhouse gas emissions.

“Time is running out,” said Kumi Naidoo, chair of the Global Campaign for Climate Action of the “TckTckTck” campaign, meant to refer to the sound of a clock ticking as the U.N. meeting draws closer.

TckTckTck would include actions such as rallies or online advertisements to show, for instance, how people in developing nations are already suffering from global warming and how a shift to green jobs could help recovery from recession.

Friday is exactly 100 days from the Dec. 7 start of the two-week meeting in Denmark due to agree a successor to the U.N.’s Kyoto Protocol to rein in changes such as more droughts, floods, rising sea levels, a spread of disease and heatwaves.

“We are deeply anxious that the negotiations are not where they need to be,” Naidoo told Reuters in a telephone interview from South Africa. TckTckTck calls itself in a statement “the biggest ever climate change campaign”.

Naidoo urged a “massive push by ordinary men, women and young people in the remaining 100 days.” Two negotiating sessions remain before Copenhagen, in Bangkok and Barcelona.

TICKING

He said Friday was the official launch of the campaign, which has already staged some events such as installing a loud ticking noise in a hotel in Bonn where climate negotiators from 180 nations met in June.

Participants include environmental groups Greenpeace and WWF, Christian Aid, Oxfam, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, the Union of Concerned Scientists, an international umbrella group for trade unions, the U.N. Children’s Fund UNICEF and a group run by ex-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

“The outlook is looking bleak — but it doesn’t have to be,” Greenpeace wrote in a report on the state of the U.N. talks.

It said negotiators were deadlocked over whether developed nations would adopt strong 2020 targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and whether they would also provide billions of dollars to help developing nations.

The service member’s vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the east, NATO forces said. U.S. forces spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed the nationality but did not provide further details.

The death brings to 45 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month, surpassing the 44 troops killed in July, which had been the deadliest.

More than 60,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan to fight rising insurgent violence, boosted by about 21,000 pouring in this summer as part of President Barack Obama’s effort to rout the resurgent Taliban and increase security for presidential elections held last week.

Attacks typically rise in Afghanistan during the summer and U.S. officials had warned that violence was likely to increase along with the troop surge. Roadside bombings have skyrocketed as U.S. troops move into areas where insurgents have been entrenched for years.

The increased military presence and the political tension surrounding this month’s presidential election have strained U.S.-Afghan relations.

President Hamid Karzai has angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff vote during a heated meeting with the special envoy to the region, according to officials familiar with the encounter.

The verbal exchange occurred the day after the Aug. 20 vote during a meeting in Kabul between Karzai and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke, according to two officials who were briefed about the meeting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Karzai assured Holbrooke he would accept the election results but bristled when the envoy asked if he would also agree to a runoff if none of the 36 candidates won more than 50 percent, the U.S. officials said.

An angry Karzai accused the U.S. of pushing the idea of a second round even before all votes had been counted. He said would accept the election commission’s tabulation as long as it reflected the facts. He did not elaborate.

Final results are due next month but partial figures released this week show Karzai leading former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and 34 other candidates but falling short of the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the Aug. 21 meeting and said the two discussed the election but would not go into details.

“There was no shouting and no one stormed out,” said Caitlin Hayden, an embassy spokeswoman. She noted Holbrooke and Karzai met again a few days later. Karzai spokesman Humayun Hamidzada also confirmed the meeting but gave no further details.

Tension in U.S.-Afghan relations emerged after President Barack Obama’s administration took office this year. Karzai enjoyed close ties with the Bush administration, which helped propel him to power after the collapse of the Taliban government in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

U.S. officials have accused Karzai of weak leadership in the face of the resurgent Taliban, corruption, and allowing the flourishing drug trade. However, the U.S. has insisted it is neutral in the election and will work with whoever wins.

The New York Times reported this week that the Obama administration is alarmed at the prospect that Karzai’s running mate, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, may be linked to the drug trade.

Quoting an unidentified administration official, the newspaper said if Fahim becomes vice president, the U.S. would likely consider imposing sanctions such as refusing him a U.S. visa or going after his personal finances.

A U.S. official in Washington confirmed the essence of the report, saying there were “a number of individuals” whom the U.S. would not like to see in a future Afghan government. The official said the U.S. had conveyed those sentiments to the Afghan government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive subject matter.

Relations between the Americans and Afghans have also been strained by the U.S. policy of detaining suspected insurgents without charge and killing civilians in military operations. The new U.S. commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has issued new orders sharply limiting use of airstrikes and encouraging U.S. troops to protect civilians.

Nevertheless, friction persists.

On Friday, an Afghan lawmaker accused the U.S. military of violating Islamic and international law two days before by using a helicopter gunship to fire on a medical clinic where an injured Taliban commander had bunkered down. The U.S. military said it cleared the clinic of civilians and government officials approved the use of the helicopter to end the firefight.

After the battle, Afghan and U.S. forces met with villagers and discussed rebuilding the clinic, a U.S. summary of the meeting said. The wounded Taliban commander was taken prisoner.

“There must have been another way or tactic to use to get to him without destroying the hospital,” said lawmaker Khalid Faroqi, calling the action “an offense.”

Human rights group Amnesty International has urged NATO forces to investigate the attack, saying the military alliance may have violated international laws of war that protect wounded fighters getting medical aid.

Afghanistan’s health minister said insurgents violated the sanctity of the clinic by bringing their guns inside. They hid the weapons under their clothes and were the first to fire, he said.

Also Friday, militants ambushed a police convoy in central Ghazni province, killing three policemen and wounding 28, said Abdul Karim, a police official.

The president’s remarks, in a speech prior to the nationally broadcast Friday Prayer ceremony in Tehran, underscored the grim reality of a nation whose political factions are deeply divided, hostile and exhibiting no appetite for common ground or compromise.

“I honestly believe the cracks in the leadership are so severe, I don’t think they will be able to heal this,” said Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford and a sharp critic of the Islamic leadership.

Mr. Ahmadinejad spoke in front of thousands of government supporters gathered in an outdoor covered arena at Tehran University. The president appeared unafraid to effectively contradict the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on Wednesday said he was not convinced that reform leaders had conspired in advance with foreign forces to orchestrate the post-election unrest. The supreme leader did, however, stick by the government’s claim that the protests were planned fromabroad.

If Ayatollah Khamenei was hoping to blunt calls for revenge, more arrests and severe punishment, Mr. Ahmadinejad showed no signs of softening.

“We must deal with those who led these events,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said. “Those who organized, incited and pursued the plans of the enemies must be dealt with decisively.”

But, in one of several signs that his desire to ramp up the conflict would not come to pass, Kazem Sediqi, a new Friday Prayer leader appointed by the supreme leader, called for “unity and friendship” and to resist “widening differences and adding to our problems.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad addressed the nation as part of what is called Government Week, an annual national observance intended to present achievements of the government and to commemorate the assassination of a former president and prime minister in 1981. In this environment, economic and social priorities have been overshadowed by the many political fights the president has been caught up in since his disputed election victory in June.

His remarks were clearly aimed at Mir Hussein Moussavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mohammad Khatami, and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani — some of the most important and influential figures in the Islamic republic’s 30-year history — whom the president has wanted to jail as enemies of the state

“Serious confrontation has to be against the leaders and key elements, against those who organized and provoked and carried out the enemy’s plan,” he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. “They have to be dealt with seriously.”

Mr. Khatami, a former two-term president and reform leader, lashed out at Mr. Ahmadinejad in a statement issued on his Web site the night before, sharply criticizing the government crackdown and what he called “these so-called trials,” which have been held for the dozens of intellectual, former officials and journalists arrested since the election conflict began.

“The sacred Friday Prayer podium has been given to those who call for the punishment of prominent figures while they are accused in the eyes of the public of committing treason themselves,” he said.

Even as President Ahmadinejad remained firm in his desire to deal with his crisis of legitimacy through more arrests, it appeared increasingly unlikely those leaders would be arrested, at least now, given the position of the supreme leader, and of Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, as well as his brother, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Parliament, political analysts said.

The Parliament has also moved to challenge the mass trials of former officials, journalists and academics who are accused of conspiring with Western powers to stage the post-election conflict.

On Thursday, the speaker, Mr. Larijani, welcomed a proposal from a reformist representative, Mostafa Kavakebian, to establish a “political jury” for the trial of political crimes.

“Attacks on the dignity and reputation of those detained or imprisoned is forbidden and must be punished,” Mr. Kavakebian said in the chamber.

If instituted by Sadeq Larijani, such a jury would likely undercut the aims of the proceedings being run by Mr. Ahmadinejad and his allies, which critics inside and outside Iran have called “show trials.”

The president will have to turn his attention to another battle on Sunday, when Parliament is scheduled to debate and begin voting on his 21 nominees for the cabinet. Leaders of Parliament, which is dominated by conservatives, have already indicated that five or six nominees are likely to be rejected, and political analysts have said that animosity toward the president has grown so sharp that there have been discussions about perhaps rejecting as many has half his nominees.