Karzai says US troops can leave Afghanistan

[Kushan Prince]

The outgoing president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has told the United States in his final address to parliament that US soldiers can leave the country at the end of the year.

Karzai said on Saturday that his military was ready to take over because it already protected 93 percent of the country, and were strong enough to defend Afghanistan without assistance.

Karzai has refused to sign a security agreement with the US, which would allow US forces to remain in the country from 2015 and beyond, and said he would not do so until peace is achieved.

All 10 presidential candidates for the April 5 election have said they would sign the security agreement if elected. But Karzai does not want his legacy to include a commitment to extending a foreign military presence.

"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," Karzai said.

He added that the war in Afghanistan was "imposed" on his nation and told the US that it could bring peace to Afghanistan if it went after "terrorist sanctuaries" and countries that supported "terrorism", a reference to Pakistan.

Tense relations

During Saturday's speech, the Afghan president urged Taliban fighters to join the peace process, but also accused Pakistan of protecting the Taliban's leadership.

Karzai also suggested that Pakistan was behind the killing of a Taliban leader who supported the peace process. The suggestion was an apparent reference to Mawlawi Abdul Raqib, who was shot dead in Pakistan's Peshawar last month. No one has taken responsibility for the killing.

Karzai also spoke of his accomplishments over the past 12 years, saying schools were functioning, rights were given to women, energy projects were coming online and the Afghanistan currency had stabilised.

"I know the future president will protect these gains and priorities and will do the best for peace in the country and I, as an Afghan citizen, will support peace and will cooperate," he said.

Karzai will step down after next month's presidential elections. Under Afghanistan's constitution, he is banned from seeking a third term.

Source: AP

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/03/karzai-says-us-troops-can-leave-afghanistan-2014315133323437829.html

[gadoonwal]

He is leaving in the next few months so now he opposed the US.
What he was doing in the last ten years or more?
Thousands of innocents people were killed by US .
Give him one more term and he will sign the deal with US.
i WOULD say no foreign military presence in afghanistan needed.
Lets the people of afghanistan decide their future.
The world should watch and stop countries interfering in afghan affairs.

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

The other possibility is

USA itself is forcing him to not sign the deal undertable for a long term stay in USA after election

[Pakwatan]

Afghanistan is only a puppet nation under the orders of NATO.

If anybody finds my comments offensive, then they should understand my view point regarding Pakistan, it is the same.

[randolph85]

Afghanistan is only a puppet nation under the orders of NATO.

If anybody finds my comments offensive, then they should understand my view point regarding Pakistan is the same.

its offensive because it is true, not because a pakistani said it.

[gadoonwal]

find me a muslim country except malaysia not being pupet of west?
pakistan and afghanistan are two well known beggers of this world serviving on aid money.
The two twin are on the top of corruption list.

[Catya Sher]

Thanks for the article. I was wondering about this, whether
all the "candidates" - more like candy in the hands of
evil forces - were going to sign that noxious "agreement".
Who is agreeing, after all ?
No sane Afghan would "agree" to put up with further subjugation to
a foreign occupier. It's only bribe money which will
induce the new leader to go along with that awful plan.

This must be stopped by Allah !

[afghan]

Thanks for the article. I was wondering about this, whether
all the "candidates" - more like candy in the hands of
evil forces - were going to sign that noxious "agreement".
Who is agreeing, after all ?
No sane Afghan would "agree" to put up with further subjugation to
a foreign occupier. It's only bribe money which will
induce the new leader to go along with that awful plan.

This must be stopped by Allah !

what a logic is it, that karzai is asking troops to leave while there is an election a head.? Who is going benefit from it? no one but karzai and his gang, any kinda disorder in the country will extend his term. Karzai should leave alongside the foreign troops.

[Catya Sher]

I agree, afghan, it really is unclear.
On one side, it seems possible that he is trying to
be in the good graces of the people by speaking out
at the last part of his term to pave the way for
a better future than that which met an out-of-power Najib.

On the other side, perhaps he was fed up with Americans
from Day Three [in short, very early in the occupation].
Maybe he has been holding all the anger inside all these years.
Perhaps he decided to finally say a little of what he thought
when he knew he couldn't be voted back in anyway this time.

I think the honorable thing to do for Karzai would be
to maybe become a Professor at kabul University and teach
generations current and future what the realities of the
American occupation were. So that university students learn firsthand
and do not let this happen ever again.

The dishonorable thing would be for him to emigrate to the US
and be given all sorts of accolades by the academic and political
community for having been a docile puppet most of his years as
so-called President of Afghanistan.

Karzai should write his memoirs - HONEST ONES - to be published
in Asia, not in America, so he can say anything he wants.