Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has defiantly stated that the Taliban no longer pose a threat to long-term stability in his country.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Karzai dismissing threats from the militant group that it is planning to step up attacks on Kabul, said that the country is ready to face it, however the U.S. led international forces in the country should make sure that the number of civilian casualties doesn’t rise.
At least 230 civilians have been feared dead since the beginning of the year and the number is expected to go higher as the news of the Taliban forces reuniting in the Tora Bora caves is confirmed.
However, the President said that ever since the war on terror began, the al-Qaeda rulers had been thrown out and are no longer a serious threat to the Afghan government. And all those remaining in the country have no guts to confront the forces, what they can do is throw bombs from far away, Mr Karzai asserted.
He acknowledged that foreign insurgents in the country were using the same tactics as in Iraq. But he said Iraq and Afghanistan are two very different stories, and Afghans need foreign to rebuild Afghanistan and bring stability.
The President said every effort has to be made for securing the civilians from further bloodshed. He said that the suffering of its people is hurting Afghanistan and it won’t be tolerated.
Stressing on his earlier statements with his country’s relations with Pakistan, he said that Pakistan holds the key to Afghanistan’s future because of the support the Taliban receive from there.
President Karzai further said that his government was in regular contact with few members of the Taliban and that more moderate elements of the group were defecting to the government side.
Ever since the war on terror began, international NATO forces have been in Afghanistan to restore peace and flush out terrorists and bring security, development and better governance.
The US-led coalition is working under Operation Enduring Freedom, a counter-terrorism mission that involves mainly Special Forces.
Yet the Afghans keep being victims of the war between the NATO forces and the militants. The number of civilian casualties is on the rise as the forces mount attacks.
Via: BBC
