"We don't have the professional police, we don't have the professional intelligence for doing investigations," said Abdul Noorzai, the southern Afghanistan director of the country's independent human rights commission. "There are personal grudges, there are tribal problems, tribal disputes. This is why we don't have the professional force that can do the real investigations."

The meeting, and its cancellation, sparked headlines due to O'[Connor]'s recent political troubles over the uncertain fate of Taliban suspects handed over to Afghan authorities. O'Connor had insisted the Red Cross would monitor the conditions of the detainees on behalf of Canada, but he had to backtrack when he realized he had his facts wrong.