Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized the US and British conduct of the war in Afghanistan, telling the New York Times in an interview published yesterday his government must be accorded the lead in policy decisions.
Karzai told the newspaper he wanted US forces to stop arresting suspected Taliban members and their sympathizers, saying that fear of arrest along with past mistreatment were discouraging them from coming forward and laying down their arms.
“It has to happen,” he said of the end to such arrests.
Karzai also said in the interview that he did not have specific details about alleged mistreatment of people in custody.
Ousted from power in 2001 by US-led and Afghan forces, the al -Qaeda-backed Taliban has vowed to topple the Afghan government and drive out the foreign troops who back it. Nearly 12,000 people, including more than 330 foreign troops, have been killed in violence in the past two years.
Karzai criticized the US-led coalition for what he characterized as carrying out the war on terrorism in Afghanistan’s villages, and said the real threat was centered in Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan.
“The sanctuaries must go, period,” the Times quoted him as saying.
He also said civilian casualties needed to stop, despite their numbers dropping significantly in the last year.
“I am not happy with civilian casualties coming down; I want an end to civilian casualties,” he said. “As much as one may argue it’s difficult, I don’t accept that argument.”
“I must also be fair to say that our partners in America have recognized my concerns and have acted on them in good faith,” Karzai said.
In calling for greater Afghan autonomy, Karzai said: “For the success of the world in Afghanistan, it would be better to recognize this inherent character in Afghanistan and work with it and support it.”
“Eventually, if the world is to succeed in Afghanistan, it will be by building the Afghan state, not by keeping it weak,” he told the Times at his presidential office.
Karzai, who has been in office six years, is facing re-election next year. With the polls approaching, some diplomats have expressed dismay that, for lack of an alternative, the country and its donors may face another five years of poor management by Karzai, the paper said.
But the Afghan president was quick to reject such criticism, pointing out “immense difficulties” his government had faced, according to the Times.
“What is it we have not gone through?” Karzai was quoted as asking.
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