"We came here to complain about Americans killing innocent people, sending them to the jails and abusing villagers," tribal leader Taj Ali told AFP in Kabul.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its report on Monday also charged that US military forces in Afghanistan had mistreated detainees, arbitrarily detained civilians and used excessive force in the arrests of non-combatants.

"The United States is setting a terrible example in Afghanistan on detention practices," said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia division of HRW.

"Civilians are being held in a legal black hole -- with no tribunals, no legal counsel, no family visits and no basic legal protections."

The US military described as "incorrect" accusations by HRW that US forces had committed human rights violations in Afghanistan.

"This report shows lack of understanding on the region, this is a combat zone. We follow strict rules of engagement and the laws of war," US military spokesman Colonel Bryan Hilferty told a news conference here on Monday.

"Some of the things reported in the HRW report have happened, like the case of two detainees who died in custody in Bagram, and we are investigating that very actively," he said.

"But their main point is incorrect. This is a combat zone, we are applying appropriate rules of engagement."

Ali said: "We came here to ask the government to tell the Americans to stop tormenting innocent people."

The tribesmen, waiting in a school building west of Kabul before their meeting with President Hamid Karzai, said they would also request that Karzai urge the "Americans" to release their prisoners who were "poor, innocent villagers detained while working on their fields".

"Americans have arrested too many innocent people," another tribal elder Rayhan said.

"The Americans arrest people on false information they get from people," he said, adding that villagers who had "enmity among themselves" misinform US forces.

Another man, who asked not to be named, told AFP: "My cousin who had a land dispute with a neighbour was tipped off as a Taliban fighter -- the Americans arrested him."

He said that his cousin been missing since April 7, 2002.

Barmal, some 220 kilometres (140 miles) southeast of Kabul, is adjacent to the US-led Shkin fire base, described by the US army as "the most evil place in Afghanistan". More US troops have been killed near Shkin and neighbouring areas than any other US base in Afghanistan.

WAR.WIRE