Karzai: We Don't Need U.S. Troops

[DonViejo]

In his final address before Afghanistan’s parliament on Saturday, president Hamid Karzai declared that U.S. troops are not needed in the country because the Afghani military is ready to take over. He reiterated his refusal to sign a security agreement that would allo U.S. troops to stay and help train Afghan troops and hunt down al Qaeda. The ten candidates seeking to succeed him after elections on April 5, however, have all said they will sign the agreement.

Read it at Time
March 15, 2014 12:06 PM

###

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/03/15/karzai-we-don-t-need-u-s-troops.html

--------------------------------------------------------

Karzai: We Don’t Need U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

Afghanistan's outgoing president said the Afghan military is ready to handle security missions without the help of the United States and reiterated his opposition to a deal that would allow a residual American force to remain in the country

Afghan President Hamid Karzai signaled his defiance of the United States in his final address before the country’s parliament Saturday, claiming U.S. troops are not needed in Afghanistan as his military is ready to take over entirely.

Karzai also reiterated that he would not sign a security agreement with the United States that would allow American soldiers to stay in Afghanistan to help train and mentor Afghan troops and hunt down al-Qaeda, the Associated Press reports. The outgoing president has come under heavy pressure from the United States and other nations, as well as a council of notable Afghanis, to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement.

“I want to say to all those foreign countries who maybe out of habit or because they want to interfere, that they should not interfere,” said Karzai on Saturday.

Karzai has been president of his embattled country since December 2001, and last won a presidential election in 2009. He has increasingly been at odds with the United States, opposing U.S. military operations against the Taliban even as it ramped up attacks and civilian killings in recent months.

more
http://time.com/26055/karzai-we-dont-need-u-s-troops-in-afghanistan/

[Igel]

1. If he wins, we'll be on target to leave. Like spare change, it's in the SOFA.

If he loses, he'll have lots to say about what his successor does but nobody will care.

[CFLDem]

2. Of course he says that.

No US means he can profit off of a new Taliban ran fiefdom.

What a shame...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. We don't need troops in Afghanistan either. We lost. Get out. Get over it.