Afghan president Hamid Karzai tells US to take tougher line with Pak

[Fighter488]

Afghan president Hamid Karzai tells US to take tougher line with Pak​

Published: Friday, Aug 27, 2010, 14:56 IST

Place: Washington, DC | Agency: PTI

In a sharp attack on Pakistan, Afghan president Hamid Karzai today asked the US to take a tougher line with Islamabad to get militant camps across the border shut down.​

Karzai also criticised the American plan to withdraw troops from his country from July next year, saying making public the decision was aiding insurgents.

His remarks come as his top official Rangin Dadfar Spanta suggested that international forces, as part of their anti-terror strategy should "confront state" that still sees terrorism as a strategic asset and foreign policy tool.

Notwithstanding disclaimers from Pakistan, Afghan national security adviser and former foreign minister Spanta said, "Pakistan is continuing to provide sanctuary and support to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks."

Writing in the Washington Post, Spanta said the focus of international forces had been eroded by "mistaken embrace for strategic partners", who have, in fact, been nurturing terrorism, an apparent reference to moves by Washington to cultivate Islamabad as a partner in the fight to combat terrorism.

Spanta said, the "central issue is international jihadis" who take refuge in Pakistan and enjoy support and training from Pakistani military and intelligence agency.

"It is my firm belief, we cannot win if we continue business as usual," he said. "We have lost the reality. We've lost the focus."

He asked the US to redirect its focus on militants in Pakistan and called for sanctions against Islamabad and denial of visas to "Pakistani Generals and others that we know definitely are involved in supporting terrorist activities."

The Post said Karzai came out strongly on his views in his meeting in Kabul with the visiting US Congressional delegations and new US Central Command chief Gen James Mattis.

In a statement released after the meeting by the presidential secretariat, Karzai said the lack of progress in the war in Afghanistan was due to lack of focus on insurgents sanctuaries and killing of civilians during military operations.

He said that the July 2011 date that president Barack Obama set to began drawdown of US troops "has given courage to the enemies of Afghanistan."

These withdrawal dates have given the "enemy a moral booster" because they believe they can simply hold out until the Americans leave.

The Afghan president said that his forces should take the lead in operations in villages to clear out Taliban with the US and NATO soldiers behind them.


Afghan president Hamid Karzai tells US to take tougher line with Pak - World - DNA

 

[huzihaidao12]

US tells Afghan president Hamid Karzai to take tougher line with Pak

 

[GentlemanObserver]

My post here answers this perfectly:
http://www.defence.pk/forums/pakist...sanctions-against-pakistan-3.html#post1095903

 

[EjazR]

Afghan leader criticises US pullout - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has strongly criticised the US planned troop pullout starting next July, saying the announcement has given "the enemy a morale boost".

Karzai said the war on terror cannot be won as long as insurgents' sanctuaries exist, citing the situation in neighbouring Pakistan.

He also criticised the death of civilians during military operations, saying the US announcement of a drawdown date has given courage to his country's enemies, referring to the Taliban and its allies.

In a statement on Thursday, Karzai's office said he told the US delegation that significant progress had been made in rebuilding the country after decades of war.

Karzai said the campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda had faltered because of ongoing civilian casualties during Nato military operations and a lack of focus on "destroying the terrorists' refuge" across the border.

US 'mistake'

The Afghan government maintains that the US should be doing more on other fronts, including pressuring neighbouring Pakistan to shut down so-called insurgent sanctuaries.

Karzai's comments during a meeting with visiting US legislators come at a time when the US administration is ratcheting up pressure on the Afghan leader to do more to stamp out corruption.

Retired US Army General Jack Keane told Al Jazeera that the US decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan was a mistake, and that Karzai's views were widely held in the region.

"Just the policy itself has done damage in the region because it has clearly has encouraged our adversaries and put scepticism in the minds of our friends," he said.

Keane said in reality the move has made it tougher for the US "even if that policy is [conditional] and even if there was very little withdrawal in July".

Bob Inglis, one of the four US congressmen who met Karzai, said the Afghan president focused mainly on private contractors and the role of Afghan forces in the war on terror.

Karzai has ordered all Afghan and international security contractors to cease operations by the end of the year, saying they have abused Afghan civil rights and undermined the authority of the state.

US role

Inglis told the Associated Press that Karzai emphasised that Afghan forces should take the lead when entering villages to clear out the Taliban, accompanied by US soldiers playing a supporting role.

"I was glad he said that because it indicated a level of ownership and commitment to Afghans taking charge of the task," Inglis said.

But added, "I think it's an open question as to whether the Afghan security forces [are] at that level as of yet".

Following the recent release of classified US military documents by Wikileaks, the whistleblower website, Afghan officials have become more outspoken in urging the US to put more pressure on Pakistan to shut down terror sanctuaries.

The Pakistanis point to military operations against the Pakistani Taliban but say their forces are overstretched, especially after the recent floods forced the military to take a major role in relief operations.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Karzai's national security adviser and former Afghan foreign minister, in a commentary published on Monday in The Washington Post said Pakistan "continues to provide sanctuary and support" to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks.

"The international community is present in Afghanistan to dismantle these international terrorist networks," he wrote.

"Yet the focus on this fundamental task has progressively eroded and has been compounded by another strategic failure – the mistaken embrace of 'strategic partners' who have, in fact, been nurturing terrorism."

 

[Areesh]

In simple words mayor of Kabul asks US to take tougher line with Pakistan.

 

[GreenStar]

I think Karzai need's to keep his brother in check...before whining to the Americans about Pakistan.

Karzai's Brother and Corruptions Charges - CBS News Video

 

[koolio]

Mr Karzai is only saying this to save his own skin, perhaps he is feeling too much heat from the yanks to fight the corruption.

 

[mjnaushad]

Who is Karzai?

 

[REHAN NIAZI FALCON]

a puppit , and a highly trained barking .....................

 

[Bas_tum_Pak]

Pet Dogs Bark inside lord's Home

 

[TOPGUN]

The only line that is needed is straight line of stick wipping karzai right in his butt this guy has frogtten his place and has lost his damn mind jerk.

 

[Dark Angel]

Who knows maybe the US is the one telling him to do so .....

 

[Parashuram1]

Mr. Karzai seems to be going to great lengths this time to make it difficult for Pakistan, is it not? I wonder what causes this sudden surge in such a cold stance. I doubt sanctions could be imposed at all against your country at this stage, considering that numerous countries are engaged in relief and non-military aid work at your place.

Calling for sanctions seems to be rather serious, I must say.

 

[r3alist]

karzai is playing a blame shifting game, EVERYONE ELSE is blaming pakistan for EVERYTHING in the world, so why not karzai?

this is what happens when you have impotent people in charge who are happy to sell national interest out

 

[karan.1970]

karzai is playing a blame shifting game, EVERYONE ELSE is blaming pakistan for EVERYTHING in the world, so why not karzai?

this is what happens when you have impotent people in charge who are happy to sell national interest out

I think the selling was done some time back. The existing govt is just bearing the consequences.