Former president Hamid Karzai on Sunday said that the US came to Afghanistan to fight extremism and bring stability and is leaving nearly 20 years later having failed at both.
“The international community came here 20 years ago with this clear objective of fighting extremism and bringing stability … but extremism is at the highest point today. So, they have failed,” he told AP in an interview.
Their legacy is a war-ravaged nation in “total disgrace and disaster,” he said.
“We recognise as Afghans all our failures, but what about the bigger forces and powers who came here for exactly that purpose? Where are they leaving us now?” he asked and answered: “In total disgrace and disaster.”
His remarks come as US President Joe Biden had announced on April 14 that the American troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11.
“We will be better off without their military presence,” Karzai continue. “I think we should defend our own country and look after our own lives. … Their presence (has given us) what we have now. … We don’t want to continue with this misery and indignity that we are facing. It is better for Afghanistan that they leave.”
This comes as the fighting has been increased across Afghanistan in the past two months.
ASHRAF, ABDULLAH VISIT: President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah will visit the United States on June 25, the White House announced on Sunday.
“President Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25,” the White House said in a statement.
The visit, the White House said, will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues.
“The United States is committed to supporting the Afghan people by providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities,” the statement said.
It added that the United States will remain “deeply engaged” with the government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a “safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland.”
The White House said that the US continues to “fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.”
