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| Hamid Karzai - 2009 (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Syed Zabiullah Langari
Afghanistan’s former President Hamid Karzai has once again raised doubts over the US’s counter-terrorism strategy in Afghanistan, saying Afghans continue to suffer through “terrorism and extremism” despite the United States and its western allies having intervened in the country fifteen years ago.
“We need peace in Afghanistan and we need success against terrorism in Afghanistan, the U.S came into Afghanistan in the name of fighting extremism and terrorism. Fifteen years on, do we have less of it or more of it, we a lot more of it, so obviously we failed there and the victim is the Afghan people and our peace,” Hamid Karzai said in an interview this week with RT in Moscow.
In a question about the billions of dollars invested in Afghanistan by the U.S and the loss of thousands of lives of westerners, Karzai said he does not know the chances of that happening on the American side, but as an Afghan citizen, he maintains he has the right to seek peace for his nation.
“The chances of that happening on the American side, I don’t know; looks less and less likely; but I as an Afghan have the right to seek peace for my country and to do all I can to bring that peace, what should I do is advise the Americans as I have been doing; what should I do is remind the Americans, what should I do is tell the Americans that they are making mistakes and that the way they are doing things will not work. Second what should I do is also bring in the major powers of this world who are, incidentally, all of them are our neighbors—Russia, China, India, Iran and also Pakistan,” Karzai said.
When asked by the RT journalist about President Donald Trump’s approach toward Afghanistan and Russia, Karzai said he is hopeful that the United States and Russia would forge closer ties and work jointly to address the issues in Afghanistan and the region.
Read the full story at TOLOnews