Hamid Karzai, the former President of
Afghanistan in a show with Russia’s RT television network said that
foreign hand was involved in attack on Kundoz city.
He said that if that foreign hand is
Pakistan, the Bilateral Security Agreement between the U.S. and
Afghanistan has to be explained which references to helping and
defending Afghanistan if there’s a foreign aggression.
RT’s correspondent Sophie Shevardnadze started her questions with why the radicalism is escalating in Afghanistan.
Karzai said: Well, unfortunately, yes,
there is more radicalism in Afghanistan, and indeed, in the whole
region, than there was ever before. That is why I’ve been calling for a
long time now for re-thinking of the strategy in the fight against
terrorism; for re-evaluating whether this struggle against terrorism is a
failure or if there’s a broader issue at hand here that we don’t know
yet about or we don’t understand. Therefore, you’re right, it’s very
much time, rather long overdue, to reconsider the whole question and to
find answers together with major countries in this region, meaning
Russia, China and India. In other words: the U.S. and its NATO allies
must now begin to consult with major powers and explain it.
The next question Shevardnadze asked was whether the world’s greatest powers have failed in Afghanistan.
Karzai responded: We must first find out
if this has been a failure, but if this is not described as a failure,
by the U.S. and its allies, then we need to have explanations from them
on what else is the reason. Therefore, we have questions, too, here in
Afghanistan, as people have questions around the world. There’s no doubt
that radicalism has increased, there’s no doubt that extremism has
increased, there’s no doubt that suffering has increased, especially in
Afghanistan and in the Middle East, so we need answers and we need to
scratch our heads and explain it.
In her third question, Shevardnadze pointed to the increasing attacks of Taliban and the fall of northern Kundoz city.
Karzai said: That was
very unfortunate for people of Kunduz, and then the suffering that
followed, for the civilians and the bombing of the Medecins Sans
Frontieres Hospital – all of that should bring us back to your first
question on how come there’s an increasing radicalism and who is
responsible for this. We know that such a large force cannot ever get
together and launch such a major operation against a major Afghan city
without foreign backing. Now, if this foreign backing, as we suspect,
came from Pakistan, then, our allies, the U.S., who are now having bases
here, who have a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan, in
which there’s a clear reference to helping and defending Afghanistan if
there’s a foreign aggression against Afghanistan, that has to be then
looked at and explained – both by the U.S. and by Afghans as well.
Therefore, we need to explain to the Afghan people the fact of the
matter.
When asked about Afghan National
Security and Defense Forces, Karzaid said: The Afghan forces are, no
doubt, heroic, no doubt they fight very well, no doubt they are trying
to defend their country, but the Afghan forces are not properly
equipped, they don’t have the right weaponry and right elements needed,
as far as the military training and all of that is concerned to provide a
good defence of the country. But, even with a very strong force, if
there’s continued foreign intervention, and that intervention is left
unanswered for years, you’re doomed to get into situation like we are in
Afghanistan. This has been one of my major issues with the U.S., with
other allies: first, the training of the Afghan forces, the proper
equipping of the Afghan forces, and then, addressing the question of
sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan. As long as that continues, we will
continue to suffer, meaning: the sanctuaries abroad, and the helping
from abroad – as long as that continues, we will suffer.
Shevardnadze asked Karzai on whether he believes on peace talk with Taliban.
He said: Absolutely. Peace is
imperative, the talks are imperative. Those Taliban, who are Afghans,
who belong to this country, are requested to come back to Afghanistan
and free themselves from foreign use, from foreign exploitation, and
come back to their own country and rebuild this country along with other
countrymen. There’s no other way. I hope, sense will prevail in them, I
hope patriotis will prevail in them and they will participate in
rebuilding of this country and bringing peace in this country.
Shevardnadze went on to ask Karzai about America’s policy in Afghanistan.
He said: The double policy, for me, when
I said it, meant that the U.S., on the one hand, said that terrorism
did not emanate from Afghanistan that these sanctuaries were beyond
Afghanistan. Admiral Mullen, then a U.S. Military Chief of Staff, said
in a statement some years ago that one of the Afghan groups, the Haqqani
network was a proven arm of the ISI. If that was the case, then how
come they provided support to the ISI as well and to the Pakistani
military as well? So it was this that caused… and other facts that were
available to us, that we have heard from Americans time and again, that
make us suspicious. You cannot be helping the victim and the perpetrator
of an atrocity in the same time. If they are with us, fighting against
terrorism, they should not be with those who are supporting terrorism.
The Minister of Public Health says that roughly three million people have contact with drugs in Afghanistan.