Karzai says Afghan war not fought in his country's interest: report

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Expressing "extreme anger" toward the U.S. government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview with the Washington Post that the war in Afghanistan was not fought with his country's interests in mind.

"Afghans died in a war that's not ours,' Karzai said in the interview published on Sunday, just a month before an election to pick his successor.

He was quoted as saying he was certain the 12-year-old war, America's longest and launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was "for the U.S. security and for the Western interest."

Karzai's refusal to sign a security deal with Washington that would permit foreign troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond this year has frustrated the White House, and President Barack Obama has told the Pentagon to prepare for the possibility that no U.S. troops will be left in Afghanistan after 2014.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/03/us-afghanistan-karzai-idUSBREA2205J20140303

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Washington Post: Interview: Karzai says 12-year Afghanistan war has left him angry at U.S. government

[aquart]

1. He's right. It wasn't.

[cheapdate]

22. Yes, our objective was to destroy al-Qaeda in Afghanistan

and the Taliban government that accommodated them.

[PeoViejo]

27. Actually, it was a safe route for a pipeline to the Caspian Basin

..and Afghanistan's rich, untapped mineral resources. The Taliban were willing to turn over AlCIAda to the US without a fight. There was no need to invade the Country at all.

[cheapdate]

31. I say it was the devastating attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans

in New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA.

I think the full-scale war and invasion was probably unwise, but not because I have any illusion that the Taliban had any interest in cooperating with the United State's demands for full accountability.

The Taliban would never have turned over Bin Laden to the United States.

The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salem Zaeef, claimed that the Taliban would stage a trial for Bin Laden in Afghanistan under Islamic Sharia law upon presentation of "convincing evidence" that Bin Laden was involved in the attacks. Additionally, Zaeef also claimed that "4,000 Jews working in the Trade Center had prior knowledge of the suicide missions" and "were absent on that day."

The offer to "try" Bin Laden in Afghanistan under Islamic Sharia law -- provided that the US could present "convincing evidence" to show that Bin Laden and not the "Jews" were responsible -- was patently ridiculous from the US perspective.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WAR+ON+TERROR%3A+MUSLIM+ANGER+-+If+America+wants+war,+it+will+happen....-a078505711

(Note : the link is highly opinionated and one-sided, but the statements by Zaeef are accurate.)

[PeoViejo]

33. The Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 n/t

[cheapdate]

34. At the very least, the Taliban provided Al Qaeda a secure base from which to operate.

They allowed bin Laden and al Qaeda the freedom to openly operate as an established organization -- to operate facilities used for organizing, planning and training for attacks against their perceived enemies around the world.

The Taliban was not ignorant of al Qaeda's goals or operations. To the contrary, they were both aware of and supportive of Bin Laden's and Al Qaeda's ultra-conservative, fundamentalist ideology and the extremely violent methods they believed were justified in carrying out their vision.

I'm saddened by destruction and the loss of innocent life, but I shed no tears for the oppressive ideology and "righteous" cruelty of the Taliban.

[PeoViejo]

35. The 9/11 attackers didn't operate out of Afghanistan

Most of them were from Saudi Arabia via Europe.

So, why didn't we attack the Saudis instead?

[cheapdate]

37. The leadership of al Qaeda was situated in Afghanistan, not in Saudi Arabia.

They were allowed to maintain a stable and secure presence in that country under the auspices of the Taliban. They maintained fixed facilities in Afghanistan that were used as a base to organize, plan, train for, and carry out attacks against targets around the world.

After the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people in the United States, the United States launched a full scale war and invasion of Afghanistan to destroy Al Qaeda and all of it's infrastructure and to destroy the Taliban government that directly assisted Al Qaeda.

The governments of the United States and Saudi Arabia have official state-to-state relations. It's a complicated and often inscrutable relationship. Some of the 9/11 perpetrators were originally from that country. But the attacks were organized, planned, prepared, and directed from Afghanistan.

If one goes down the rabbit hole, he can look for and probably find innumerable ties and associations between al Qaeda and high levels of the Saudi Government. I'm not going there. Al Qaeda and the Wahabbi movement have deep roots in Saudi Arabia but they are not in control of the country or its government. Saudi politics is a complicated and divisive mess from which you may draw wherever conclusions you desire.

I get it. You believe that the true US motive for invading Afghanistan was to secure access to that country's natural resources and to secure access to oil and gas pipelines.

You're not going to convince me of that and I'm not going to convince you otherwise.

Iraq is a different story. I don't think we'll ever know the true reasons for that disastrous war. I think the planners had a number of different motivations, none of them legal. Access to energy resources was almost certainly high among those reasons.

[PeoViejo]

42. The 9/11 attacks were planned in Germany

Osama was a spiritual adviser and did take part in planning the attacks.


Iraq was attacked because they were selling oil on the Black Market and undercutting the OPEC Cartel and the Saudis, who needed at least $40 a barrel to service their Debt. The Coalition of the Willing were just acting as Mercs to put Saddam out of business. BTW, the price of Oil went up and never came back down. That was the whole point of the Iraq War.

[cheapdate]

43. Bin Laden was more than the "spiritual leader" of al-Qaeda.

The September 11 attack plan originated in Afghanistan. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed suggested the plan to Osama bin Laden. bin Laden gave approval for Mohammed to go forward with planning the attacks. bin Laden participated in meetings to help plan the attacks. He provided leadership and financial support and was involved in selecting the targets and the participants. The men from Hamburg were selected personally by bin Laden and traveled to Afghanistan to meet with bin Laden prior to the attacks.

[olddad56]

39. 9-11 was an inside job, whether people want to believe that our not, it was an inside job.

[PeoViejo]

44. You may be right

considering Osama was a CIA asset for Years, during the Soviet occupation, Bandar Bush was his Saudi Case Officer, and the Bushes and Bin Ladens are friends and business partners. Yes, it does look kind of suspicious.

[wildbilln864]

47. kind of?

it is absolutely suspicious! PNAC's wet dream!

[EX500rider]

40. So after 13 years how many mines have we dug & where's the pipeline? n/t

[PeoViejo]

41. The Chinese are doing the Mining (Copper)

..as for the pipeline, the Taliban have other plans...I guess they weren't offered enough Vig to guarantee security.

[EX500rider]

45. So your theory is we attacked Afgh. so China could have a mine there? n/t

[PeoViejo]

46. I didn't say that

but while we weren't looking, the Chinese cut a deal with the Afghans, after all, it is their Country.

[JDPriestly]

2. So// Afghanistand was a breeding ground for terrorists, and the US went in to stop the terrorrists.

The development, etc. to the extent it happened was collateral benefit not the reason the US went in there. At least that is what we in American were lead to understand.

[olddad56]

3. Well, duh.

wasn't our interest obvious from the beginning.

[bemildred]

15. +1. They were told, they fought like hyenas to get their stupid, wasteful war.

"We've got to hit back!!"

[jtuck004]

4. Hey, man, don't feel all alone. At least half the shit we do isn't even in our own best interest.

At best, it is in the interest of some few wealthy assholes who whose house fire we fight harder to put out than our own. When we figure out why we do that, and why we enable those few assholes, perhaps we can get back to you on that issue.

Until then, keep educatin' those little girls. You are doing a good thing there. And don't forget the boys in the process.

[QuestForSense]

5. Well worth reading; he is a much more sympathetic person than his persona might suggest.

[jsr]

6. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to accumulate a fortune in his Swiss bank accounts

[freshwest]

7. Everyone knew going to Afghanistan was not in their interest, neither was Iraq or Vietnam.

I don't think the British did them any favors either. Nor the Russians. It's sad that he has to say something so obvious.

Leaving troops there is also not going to help them. It's more about Pakistan which has nukes, IMO, than anything else. It's a roundabout way of enforcing the CWC.

The border is so wide open between the two countries, and the tribes are on both sides, that it's almost like the same place in reality, no matter what they call it.

[cosmicone]

8. Except that

Pakistan is an artificial country that was created nefariously by the brits out of spite and it never existed before whilst Afghanistan has been there for millennia.

[Berlum]

12. "Smirk." - xCommander George AWOL Bush (R- PNAC)

[MADem]

9. Translation: Obama doesn't kiss my ass like Bush did. nt

[ReRe]

10. Probably because he's not receiving those bags of cash anymore?

[Enthusiast]

11. Well, Karzai, it wasn't in America's best interest either.

When it is all said and done, Afghanistan will have accomplished exactly zero positive benefits for Afghanistan, the US and the world.

No nation-state attacked the US on 911. Invading Afghanistan was a foolish response. Then the nation doubled down on stupid and invaded a second nation that had no hand in 911.

But we must cut your social security.

[Scuba]

13. Bingo. We should have treated 911 like the crime it was, instead of like an act of war.

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. Not much profit in that The only motive our rulers ever need....

[EX500rider]

26. "Afghanistan will have accomplished exactly zero positive benefits for Afghanistan"

Nonsense.
From the Afghan perspective it's been more of a golden age with money pouring into the country at a never before seen rate, new paved roads, new train connections in the north, new jobs, cell service, more open schools, more water, more electricity, tons of foreign funds to loot, new paid for military and police, etc.

They were already at war when we showed up, since the Soviet puppet govt fell in 1992 except with out all that other stuff.

But I do think we should say ByeBye! now.

[Enthusiast]

28. Nonsense? Hardly.

Those "benefits" you cite hardly make up for the death and destruction.

[EX500rider]

29. "Those "benefits" you cite hardly make up for the death and destruction."

Since the Taliban does over 80% of the killing of civilians you think they'll stop when we leave?
Was not peaceful when we got there, won't be after we leave. And if you think the Afghan military/police are going to use precision weapons and be very careful about rules of engagement that's unlikely. They will use unguided bombs and rockets and artillery in the fight against the Taliban/Pashtun uprising and it won't be pretty.

[Enthusiast]

30. Who gives a fuck?

That's too bad about Afghanistan. They didn't attack us on 911. We had no business invading that country.

How long do you think we should stay there? 20 years, 30 years, 50 years? It has been a complete waste in every way.

[EX500rider]

32. Where did I say we should stay or have gone in the 1st place? n/t

[deutsey]

14. Karzai didn't turn out to be the puppet I thought he'd be n/t

[Lasher]

17. Well no shit.

You take your chances when you harbor bin Laden after he masterminded terrorist attacks against us.

[liberal N proud]

18. How many years to figure this out?

The American public has not figured out why we have spent so many years in Afghanistan either.

[truth2power]

19. I guess we can give Karzai a pass on this, since the election to pick his successor is coming up..

Otherwise, he should stay off of small planes.

[Renew Deal]

20. Afghanistan chose to harbor Al Queda

That's what made the war "theirs"

[oldandhappy]

21. Worked well for him personally...

his job and his money!!

[Orsino]

23. Slow learner.

But then, Kharzai's rule wasn't in his country's interests, either.

[lark]

24. Suck it, Karzai

I'm thrilled that America is leaving your toxic society behind. Sorry we didn't pay enough bribes to suit you.

[EX500rider]

25. "Afghans died in a war that's not ours,' Karzai said"

You mean the civil war that was raging since 1992 between the Taliban Pashtun and everybody else in the country that we stupidly decided to join? Who's war again?

Karzai is just a cheating, lying bastard and those are his good qualities.

Karzai clan is from Kandahar and is in bed with the southern drug warlords who use the Taliban for muscle.

[warrant46]

36. Time to leave this Cesspool of the 8th Century with its Evil Leadership

But Carlisle, Halliburton and Blackwater will still be supported by the present regime in DC

under the present slogan = "Freedom is on the March"

[Zorra]

38. We are fighting in the name of the 1% to free the people of Afghanistan from

their right to self-determination, and to liberate them from the burdens of controlling and profiting from the natural resources of Afghanistan.