His father and oldest brother were shot dead last August at the start of a midnight assault by NATO-led troops on their house in Afghanistan's east. Abdullah himself was hooded, handcuffed and flown to prison, where he was detained for questioning and then released.

They were casualties of a night raid, a controversial tactic that has been stepped up dramatically since General David Petraeus took over running the Afghan war last year, despite strong opposition led by President Hamid Karzai.

There were nearly 20 each night over the past three months, according to a senior NATO official who requested anonymity.

Petraeus says the pressure on suspected insurgents and their networks has brought a new dynamic to a near-decade-old war. Critics argue it is fuelling violence because poor intelligence means dozens of innocent people are killed or detained.

Although more than 80 percent of recent raids ended without a shot being fired, violence escalates fast when it does break out, with 600 people killed on operations in the three-month period.

Reuters