KABUL: Several hundred demonstrators were marching to the Afghan parliament building in Kabul, protesting the continued presence of US special operations forces in Afghanistan's troubled Wardak province.    

Kabul's deputy police chief General Mohammad Daud Amin said Saturday's demonstration of roughly 500 protesters had been peaceful.

The demonstrators were demanding the release of nine local citizens they believe were detained by US forces.

US officials have said only four of the nine missing men were arrested in joint US-Afghan raids.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai had demanded all US commandos leave the province early last week, but agreed to give top US commander General Joseph Dunford more time to craft a solution that maintains security in Wardak, which is used as a gateway by militants to bring bombers and weapons into Kabul.