- Karzai says US shot down requests to target ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan
- ‘President Ghani should ensure Afghan soil not used against Iran, or any other neighbour’
KABUL/LONDON: Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said that the United States has links with the Islamic State, also known as Daesh.
Speaking with the Afghan service of the Voice of America (VOA), he said that he considers Daesh a tool of the US. “After it, the US dropped the mother of all bomb on Afghanistan, it did not eliminate Daesh,” said Karzai, who ruled the country with the help of the US-led coalition for almost a decade.
He revealed that the terrorist group has been supplied weapons by the US forces. “The US Army helicopters and army bases are being used to provide assistance to ISIS terrorists,” he said while echoing Russian claims of American support to the militant militia.
“I do not differentiate at all between Daesh and America,” the former president said while dismissing criticism of Moscow’s ties with the Taliban. He emphasised that work need to be done to control extremism. Reports of American assistance to the terrorists are coming from all over the country, Karzai said.
He stressed that the US government must answer the questions of Afghan people. This is not the first time that the former head of the state came up with such claims. On April 20, Karzai said that Deash gained strength under the US regime.
In an interview with the BBC Pashto, Karzai claimed that Kabul’s requests to attack terrorist ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan were declined by the US as it was a close ally in the war on terror. He said his country has told the US stationed commanders and ISAF chief in Kabul in several meetings to attack those ‘safe havens’ in the tribal areas.
”However, the request had been shot down by the US as they consider Pakistan a close ally in the war on terror,” he said. Urging for a home-grown policy, Karzai stressed that it was important to assure the neighbours that it will not hurt their interests. “The Afghan soil should not be used against any of our neighbours in the regions,” he said.
He warned the new US policy would pave way for fresh and prolong conflicts in Afghanistan and the new strategy would deprive Afghans of their dreams of peace and stability. Earlier this week, he told the Russia Today that both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to live together but Pakistan supported armed struggle against Soviets which weakened Afghanistan.
Karzai said that there exists a strong contrast in Pakistan and Afghanistan’s relationship as the former welcomed the refugees from the latter but also weakened Afghanistan by supporting mujahideen. He went on to say that he hopes the new US policy for the region sees that Pakistan was used by the US against its neighbour for an inhumane purpose.
He said that they want to join hands with Pakistan to “salvage us from this deep conspiracy.” While accusing the US of aiding Daesh in Afghanistan, he said that the militant organisation has emerged in Afghanistan in the past three to four years under the watch of the US military and its intelligence agencies.
“I get daily reports by the Afghan people that unmarked military helicopters supply Daesh in many parts of Afghanistan,” he claimed. He went on to say that extremism in Afghanistan has increased since 9/11 incident. “Our people ask that if the US came to Afghanistan to defeat extremism, why do we have more of it today,” he said.
“Military action, especially by foreign forces, will not bring peace. Afghans need to evolve a consensus to reach out to everybody, including ‘sons of the soil’ Taliban, to seek a settlement,” he suggested. The former president said the US needs to become a cooperative partner in the region, including with China, Russia, Pakistan and India, to bring peace.
When asked about Iran’s role in Afghanistan, Karzai said Iran was not at all the problem but in fact has been a tremendous help. “It is a country that is clearly against extremism,” he said, adding that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani should ensure that Afghanistan’s soil was not used against Iran, or any other neighbouring country for that matter.
Well said karzai, finally you realise USA has teicked snd used you and indeed used pakistan aswell. But i imagine ahen u suddenly speung outnof nowhere to power once taliban fell you pretty much knew the usa were going to do this. Or as they say, ignorance is bliss. But y sould u complain then, you along sith your shia buddies were given A country. But you may aswell piblicise it now. Lol, amazing. You really are.
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