Risk of Afghan civilian casualties could damp support for U.S. strikes on militants

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. F-15 jet fighter leaves after an airstrike against Taliban insurgent positions in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, August 28, 2011. REUTERS/Nikola Solic

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to step up air strikes on Islamist militants in Afghanistan risk increasing civilian casualties and stirring resentment, despite an initial welcome by Afghan officials and international allies.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has avoided vocal criticisms of errant air strikes, but in previous years they sparked intense friction and soured ties between his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, and the international coalition in Afghanistan.