Leave Taliban alone, Afghan president

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Leave Taliban alone, Afghan president tells West

Karzai says US and British troops are undermining his authority and stopping insurgents from laying down their arms

• Jason Burke
• The Observer,
• Sunday April 27 2008

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This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday April 27 2008 on p35 of the World news section. It was last updated at 00:00 on April 27 2008.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has called on British and American troops to stop arresting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, saying that their operations undermined his government's authority and were counter-productive.

Well Gee I just don't know what to say? I just didn't expect him to defect to the Taliban.

The stinging attack, made in an interview with the New York Times published yesterday, is the latest in a series of rows between Western governments with troops in Afghanistan and the elected leader of the country. Western diplomats expressed surprise at the Afghan leader's criticism and the Foreign Office played down the row yesterday.

'We fully support the Afghan government and continue to work with it, President Karzai and the international community in the interests of the Afghan people and the long-term peace and stability of Afghanistan,' said a spokesman.

Karzai is facing re-election next year and may be hoping to bolster flagging support with a populist stance.

Is he playing for the Taliban vote? Is that a viable electorate?

However, in recent months relations have deteriorated seriously, with Western officials openly doubting the ability of the Afghan president, who was heavily backed by the US and the UK in 2001 after the fall of the Taliban regime, to manage rampant corruption and combat drug trafficking in the war-wracked southwest Asian state.

Karzai said he wanted American forces to stop arresting suspected Taliban members and their supporters, saying that fear of arrest and their past mistreatment were discouraging them from coming forward to lay down their arms.

Yes arrest offends their little beheading sensibilities.

'It has to happen,' he said. 'We have to make sure that when a Talib comes to Afghanistan ... he is safe from arrest by the coalition.'

'We have to make sure that when a Talib comes to Afghanistan ... he is safe from arrest by the coalition.' isn't that what they are doing in Paki?

So the Taliban will be safe from arrest in Afghan and Paki.

Both Afghan and Paki have taken a wild wolf into the house and hope they can train it before it eats them.

Karzai is the closest thing they have to a wolf trainer, born Pushtun, speaks Pushtun, Dari, Urdu,English and French.

Briefly supported the Taliban in 2000 before they went extreme fundamentalism then he turned against them.

His father, Abdul Ahad Karzai was killed by the Taliban in Quetta.

I want to give him the benefit of doubt but would like to know the Goal.

Does he know where this road leads. G

Efforts at winning over Taliban fighters or sympathisers are mired in confusion: Nato allies in Afghanistan are divided over the exact nature of the amnesty or 'reconciliation programme' for insurgents. British policy, despite official insistence that 'there are no negotiations with the Taliban', is to weaken the radical Islamic movement by splitting off foot soldiers tempted by money or misled by tribal chiefs, religious leaders and ideologues from a 'hardcore' of leaders.

'We fully support efforts to bring disaffected Afghans into society's mainstream, providing they renounce violence and accept Afghanistan's constitution,' said the Foreign Office spokesman. 'We have always said there is no military solution in Afghanistan - a fully comprehensive approach is needed ... and that will involve reconciliation of those Taliban prepared to integrate into the new Afghanistan.'

However, Washington is more sceptical of such efforts, and has been fiercely critical of some British tactics aimed at winning over key Taliban commanders in the past, as has Karzai himself.

Karzai also attacked the number of civilian deaths inflicted by the coalition. Although levels of 'collateral damage' inflicted by Nato operations have dropped substantially, deaths still continue. Two women and two children were killed recently in an air raid by Nato troops on a suspected Taliban position after a firefight. Up to 9,000 civilians have died since 2001.

'I want an end to civilian casualties,' the Afghan president said in the interview. 'And as much as one may argue it's difficult, I don't accept that argument.'

Relations between Karzai and London were strained last month by the Afghan premier's rejection of Lord Paddy Ashdown, the favoured candidate to take up a post as 'aid tsar' in Kabul with a brief to coordinate the international aid flowing into the country. Karzai blocked the appointment amid negative local press coverage, a historic popular distrust of the British and advisers' fears of a potential crackdown on corruption.

With casualties and costs mounting and little obvious progress, Western governments are looking increasingly for an exit from Afghanistan, where 94 British servicemen have been killed since 2001. 'Nato now wants a way out which is not failure,' said Mike Williams, of London's Royal United Services Institute. 'They need to redefine the situation which will allow them to leave without failing.'

A key problem for policymakers is 'battle fatigue' among Western populations. 'We are going to get bored of the war long before the Taliban are,' said one Nato official

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Karzai will loose the election, the average Afghan knows the Taliban for what it is, Karzai just removed himself from office, who is next in line?

What in hell is Karzai thinking?
The Taliban will come in and just lay down their arms if they feel no threat/power?
I don't understand his Taliban Paradigm.
Taliban will cut Karzai throat first chance they get.
DAY after I posted about Taliban willing to cut his throat,
Taliban attacked him.
Video: Karzai Escapes Unharmed After Taliban Attack


USA could accept the Taliban in Afghan and Paki if they
killed off al Qaeda, otherwise with a nuclear issue in the offing
USA will have no alternative that to go back to war in Paki and Afghan
to take out al Qaeda.

al Qaeda cannot have a safe haven any where in the world to launch attacks against the rest of the world.

The shape of this paradigm is a no brainer, the diplomats must see this.
Safe haven is a non starter.

al Qaeda's silence on these TALIBAN negotiations is DEAFENING.

USA force will continue to be applied against al Qaeda and the Taliban
unless the Taliban gives up al Qaeda.
Biny doesn't trust the Taliban, when he was in trouble in Tora Bora he split his forces, separating the Taliban off from himself.

al Qaeda's developing new Survival Paradigm.

al Qaeda continues to experience heavy losses and fears USA Military and are allowing the negotiations with their tacit silence/approval.
al Qaeda is concerned with survival, huge losses in Iraq and Afghan and
Paki, loss of key cadre.

Intel is on their tails, they know who is tracking them and their time is limited. Its a matter of time before their hide aways are visited by a rain of hellfire rockets.

al Qaeda is looking for a way out, breathing space, some R&R.
Top al Qaeda cadre have been in a very Black covert security operation for six years, and its getting heavy and they are short money, men and suicide bombers, and webmasters. And Biny is in terminal stages of his disease.

Olde Zee's load is too heavy and showed signs of desperation in his last
town hall meeting, with weak arguments that run counter to the Koran
and logic and reason. al Qaeda's killing of Moslems women children blowing up mosques and market places has roused Allah's anger.
Watch what happens.


Gerald
Anthropologist

Update: Is the Taliban evolving a new paradigm?

Negotiate PEACE with Afghan and Paki so the Taliban and al Qaeda have a safe base of operations, in these states to conduct terrorism?

WE quit suicide bombings in your countrys and WE don't get arrested, and get immunity for past acts. And a free hand to operate outside your borders.

G

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