Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has condemned what he called a 'unilateral operation' by Australian troops in southern Uruzgan province, saying it breached an agreement with NATO.



Karzai was responding to an apparent Australian operation on Friday in which a tribal elder, Raz Mohammad Khan, 70, and his son Abdul Jalil, 30, were killed.



'Raz Mohammad ... had no relationship with the government or the militants. He and his son were the victims of wrong reports received by Australian troops regarding (their) relations with the Taliban,' said Abdullah Hemmat, the provincial spokesman.



Nine detained civilians were released on Saturday after the Uruzgan governor spoke to the Australians, Hemmat said.



Meanwhile, in other developments, 12 Afghans died and 59 were wounded in twin suicide attacks on Saturday in central Afghanistan, and NATO said two US soldiers died 'following an insurgent attack in Ghazni province'.



Security forces arrested a senior Taliban commander in northern Kunduz province, police said.



Qari Neyaz Mohammad was in charge of the provinces of Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan, said Samiullah Qatrah, the Kunduz police chief.



The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings near a military base in Wardak province.



Provincial spokesman Shahedullah Shahed said one of the assailants blew up his explosives-laden vest at the gate of the Sayedabad district building, while another detonated his truck.



Eight civilians and four police were killed, while 47 civilians, seven police officers, three intelligence officers and two soldiers from the NATO-led coalition were wounded, Shahed said.



However, Major Adam Wojack told DPA: 'No NATO fatalities or injuries have been reported despite the (fact that the) incident happened close to the military base in Sayedabad district.'



Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said via text message: 'The first bomber detonated himself at the gate of the US base opening way for the truck bomber.'