FT.com / UK - Karzai's under-fire brother rejects US criticism and backs Nato offensive
The powerful half-brother of Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has vowed to back a major Nato operation in Kandahar, dismissing fears in Washington that he will sabotage a crucial phase of the campaign against the Taliban.
Critics accuse Ahmed Wali Karzai, chairman of the provincial legislative council, of presiding over the rise of a mafia-like network of oligarchs, militia commanders and opium traffickers whose attempts to monopolise power in the province have fuelled sympathy for the insurgents.
In a rare in-depth interview, Ahmed Wali Karzai denied the allegations and pledged to use his influence to rally support for the west's plan to secure his native Kandahar, the heartland of the Taliban. "Let's hope for a new beginning. Let's work together, I want to serve my people," he said in his fortified villa in Kandahar city, scene of a campaign of insurgent bombings and assassinations. "There were probably some mistakes from my side. I'm trying to clear these things, I'm trying to help."
The remarks will reassure allies concerned about strained relations with President Karzai following his series of outbursts against foreign powers.
Ahmed Wali Karzai has emerged as one of the most influential men in Afghanistan in the past five years, forming a pillar of the system of personal alliances the president uses to project influence from Kabul.
He has faced a slew of US media reports accusing him of profiting from the drugs trade and cutting dubious land deals. He says the allegations are politically motivated. "It's very difficult to be the president's brother, believe me," he said.
Seeking to present himself as a link between government and the people, he compared his role as council chairman to speaker of the US House of Representatives. "I am the Nancy Pelosi of Kandahar," he said.
Ahmed Wali Karzai's remarks follow intense pressure from the west for him to cede some of the influence he wields in Afghanistan's second-biggest city.
The coalition hoped to persuade President Karzai to remove his half-brother late last year, fearing he would derail their plans to strengthen Tooryalai Wesa, an Afghan-Canadian technocrat who holds the post of provincial governor but who lacks a comparable power base. The plan was abandoned.
"It's no secret we're floundering," said a coalition official. "There's no clear policy on what to do about Mr Karzai apart from leaving him in place. I assume we hope he'll play ball."
The powerful half-brother of Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has vowed to back a major Nato operation in Kandahar, dismissing fears in Washington that he will sabotage a crucial phase of the campaign against the Taliban.
Critics accuse Ahmed Wali Karzai, chairman of the provincial legislative council, of presiding over the rise of a mafia-like network of oligarchs, militia commanders and opium traffickers whose attempts to monopolise power in the province have fuelled sympathy for the insurgents.
In a rare in-depth interview, Ahmed Wali Karzai denied the allegations and pledged to use his influence to rally support for the west's plan to secure his native Kandahar, the heartland of the Taliban. "Let's hope for a new beginning. Let's work together, I want to serve my people," he said in his fortified villa in Kandahar city, scene of a campaign of insurgent bombings and assassinations. "There were probably some mistakes from my side. I'm trying to clear these things, I'm trying to help."
The remarks will reassure allies concerned about strained relations with President Karzai following his series of outbursts against foreign powers.
Ahmed Wali Karzai has emerged as one of the most influential men in Afghanistan in the past five years, forming a pillar of the system of personal alliances the president uses to project influence from Kabul.
He has faced a slew of US media reports accusing him of profiting from the drugs trade and cutting dubious land deals. He says the allegations are politically motivated. "It's very difficult to be the president's brother, believe me," he said.
Seeking to present himself as a link between government and the people, he compared his role as council chairman to speaker of the US House of Representatives. "I am the Nancy Pelosi of Kandahar," he said.
Ahmed Wali Karzai's remarks follow intense pressure from the west for him to cede some of the influence he wields in Afghanistan's second-biggest city.
The coalition hoped to persuade President Karzai to remove his half-brother late last year, fearing he would derail their plans to strengthen Tooryalai Wesa, an Afghan-Canadian technocrat who holds the post of provincial governor but who lacks a comparable power base. The plan was abandoned.
"It's no secret we're floundering," said a coalition official. "There's no clear policy on what to do about Mr Karzai apart from leaving him in place. I assume we hope he'll play ball."
