Karzai criticizes US, Britain on war
Afghan leader assails conduct
KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai strongly criticized the British and US conduct of the war here yesterday, insisting in an interview that his government be given the lead in policy decisions.
Karzai said that he wanted US forces to stop arresting suspected Taliban and their sympathizers, and that the continued threat of arrest and past mistreatment were discouraging Taliban from coming forward to lay down their arms.
He criticized the US-led coalition as prosecuting the war on terrorism in Afghan villages, saying the real terrorist threat lay in sanctuaries of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan.
The president said that civilian casualties, which have dropped substantially since last year, needed to cease completely. For nearly two years, the coalition has refused to recognize the need to create a trained police force, he said, leading to a critical lack of law and order.
The comments came as Karzai is starting to point toward reelection next year, after six years in office, and may be part of a political calculus to appear more assertive in his dealings with foreign powers as opponents line up to challenge him.
But they also follow a serious dip in his relations with some of the countries contributing to the NATO-led security force and the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and indicate that as the insurgency has escalated, so, too, has the chafing among allies.
Complaints have been rising for months among diplomats and visiting foreign officials about what is seen as Karzai's weak leadership, in particular his inability to curb narcotics trafficking and to remove inefficient or corrupt officials. Some diplomats have even expressed dismay that, for lack of an alternative, the country and its donors may face another five years of poor management by Karzai.
He was quick to reject such criticism, pointing out the "immense difficulties" that he and his government have faced while trying to rebuild a state that was utterly destroyed.
He called instead for greater respect of Afghanistan's fierce independence, and for more attention to be paid to building up the country, than doing things for it.
He admitted that "lots of things" in the last six years could have been handled better and singled out policies led by the United States, namely tackling terrorism and handling the Taliban.
On terrorism, he repeated a call he has made for several years, that sanctuaries across the border in Pakistan be closed off.
"There is no way but to close the sanctuaries," he said. "Pakistan will have no peace, Pakistan's progress will suffer, so will Afghanistan's peace and progress, so will the world's. If you want to live, and live in peace, and work for prosperity, that has to happen. The sanctuaries must go, period."
The deaths of civilians in the fighting have also been a big problem, he said.
"I am not happy with civilian casualties coming down; I want an end to civilian casualties," he said.
rising
falling 