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Obama reportedly to pen letter to Afghan people admitting 'mistakes,' as part of security dealPublished November 19, 2013FU.S. and Afghan officials reportedly have reached a tentative agreement on a critical security pact -- which would include President Obama writing a letter to the Afghan people acknowledging mistakes during the "war on terror." According to Reuters, an Afghan spokesman said Tuesday that Obama agreed to write the letter, to be presented with the draft security pact at a meeting of tribal elders later this week. The New York Times, citing a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, reported that Secretary of State John Kerry proposed the letter in a conversation with Karzai. Karzai asked that Obama sign it, and Kerry reportedly agreed. The letter apparently helped them reach a tentative deal authorizing U.S. raids on Afghan homes in certain circumstances, which had been an area of disagreement. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, at Tuesday's daily press briefing in Washington, would not confirm or deny the letter when asked by Fox News. "We don't comment on presidential correspondence," he said. He added: "We take every precaution to prevent civilian casualties and we always express regret when civilians are killed." Carney also would not confirm that any overall draft deal was in place. "There are ongoing conversations," he said, noting that Kerry and Karzai had talked.
