U.S. ambassador warns Karzai over criticism of West (Reuters)

KABUL (Reuters) – The U.S. ambassador to Kabul has issued a thinly veiled warning to Afghan President Hamid Karzai that harsh criticisms of the West could jeopardize the troops and funding critical to the Afghan government's survival.

Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said he found comments from "some" Afghan leaders "hurtful and inappropriate," according to a transcript of a speech released late on Sunday.

Although he did not mention Karzai by name, the speech appeared to be a direct response to a string of verbal broadsides against Western troops serving in Afghanistan and the diplomatic and aid programs that accompany them.

In one recent fiery speech Karzai warned that foreign soldiers risked being seen as occupiers because of civilian casualties they caused. Last week he said the West was polluting the country with weapons containing toxic chemicals.

Eikenberry said those comments left him ashamed and speechless in front of the relatives of U.S. war dead.

"When I hear some of your leaders call us occupiers, I cannot look at these mourning parents, spouses, and children in the eye and give them a comforting reply," Eikenberry told an audience of students and academics at Herat University in western Afghanistan.

"When we hear ourselves being called occupiers and worse, our pride is offended and we begin to lose our inspiration to carry on," he added, in a personal addendum to a speech on education and transition.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM?

But Karzai's spokesman said some of the president's comments had been misunderstood and warned against "over-reacting" to constructive criticism, saying that Afghan people standing up for their own interests should not be dubbed offensive.

Karzai's spokesman said that in his controversial speech on civilian casualties the president was only warning western allies that their image in his country was at risk, and that details may have been lost in a bad translation.

"The president has never termed international forces as occupying forces ... He has said if the bombardment of civilian homes and civilians continue, there is a risk that (this view of western troops as occupiers) could become part of public opinion in Afghanistan," Waheed Omer said.

But Omer also warned against "over-reacting" to criticism, and added that although effective assistance was appreciated, the west had not come to Afghanistan for altruistic reasons.

"No one can deny that international community came to Afghanistan for the sake of their own interests in the first place. We as Afghans have every right ... to make sure that international community's presence also serves the interests of the people of Afghanistan," Omer said.

"I don't see why this should be termed as offending."

DRAWDOWN LOOMS

Eikenberry was speaking as U.S. President Barack Obama mulls how steep a U.S. troop withdrawal that starts in July should be.

That will coincide with the first phase of a gradual handover of security control to the Afghan police and army, who are due to take responsibility for all of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, though critics warn this date is premature.

At present NATO is rushing to expand and train up security forces that have long struggled with problems ranging from widespread illiteracy, drug abuse and corruption to a dearth of leaders and equipment and a damaging rate of attrition.

Although the training team say progress is impressive, it will still be years before they have a real hope of holding off disciplined and battle-hardened insurgents across the country.

Even when they can fight alone, the size of the security forces and Afghanistan's sickly economy means they will need help paying salaries and buying equipment for years to come.

Eikenberry warned that patience to help Afghanistan seek security would not be infinite if Afghan partners were dismissive of U.S. sacrifices of lives and money.

"At the point your leaders believe that we are doing more harm than good ... especially at a time our economy is suffering and our needs are not being met, the American people will ask for our forces to come home," Eikenberry said.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

Yahoo! News

Karzai blasts US, NATO for 'using' Afghanistan, announces Taliban talks (The Christian Science Monitor)

By Tom A. Peter Tom A. Peter – Sun Jun 19, 12:22 pm ET

Kabul, Afghanistan – In what’s become a familiar pattern, Afghan President Hamid Karzai delivered a speech on Saturday afternoon blasting the US and NATO for “using our country.”

a€?The nations of the world which are here in our country are here for their own national interests,a€

Since March, he has called on the US and NATO to stop operations here (only to later clarify that he meant operations that result in civilian casualties) and given them a stern ultimatum to stop killing civilians. Shortly after each controversial speech, he usually reaffirms ties with NATO and the US.

Take the Monitor's weekly news quiz! June 13-17

Karzai’s tendency to oscillate between positions at either end of the spectrum has confounded and irked friend and foe alike, leading to speculation among American diplomats that he may be struggling with a mental illness. But some Afghans say that the main problem could be that Afghans leaders – traditionally used to tailoring their messages to navigate shifting allegiances – are just not used to coping with modern, international media that stand ready to expose any contradictory remark.

“Currently some politicians are the same as Karzai, but the media is not focusing so much on small politicians. Karzai is the president and has the most media coverage,” says Babrak Shinwari, a former member of parliament from Nangarhar province. “I would suggest that he use only written speeches and does not deviate from them. When he goes off script, he says anything and that’s why it brings the mistrust of the regional countries and the international community on Karzai.”

Fluid allegiances, competing messagesThroughout history, Afghans have been notorious for working with competing sides and changing allegiances when it becomes clear their rivals are becoming more powerful. For Afghan politicians, this has meant a history of working closely with rivals and communicating sometimes seemingly competing messages to different audiences.

This strategy, however, encounters serious problems when politicians make remarks intended to appeal to a specific audience in the presence of media who broadcast the remarks countrywide and sometimes internationally. Additionally, as the media has grown substantially since the fall of the Taliban, Afghans have become more savvy about leaking select information to journalists.

In this climate, Karzai’s remarks about NATO are likely intended to win support among Afghans, but when disseminated to an international audience they create major problems.

'People are confused' Still, many Afghans say this is no excuse for Karzai’s seemingly erratic remarks.

“Media should be considered a given in today’s world and today’s society," says Daoud Sultanzoy, a former member of parliament from the eastern province of Ghazni. "Leaders have to adjust to that, to the freedom of the media, to the freedom of expression.”

Even among Afghans familiar with leaders who flip flop as political tides turn, Karzai’s behavior is seen as confusing and difficult to read. In a nation where 72 percent of the population is illiterate, many Afghans still follow radio and television news closely and hear the president’s contradictory remarks.

Sign up for our daily World Editor's Picks newsletter. Our best stories, in your inbox.

“People are confused," says Izzatullah Wasifi, Afghanistan’s former anti-corruption chief. "They can’t understand what are his motivations, what are his motives, what is his strategy, and where does he want to take this nation?”

Karzai's increasingly blunt criticism of NATO and US efforts led American Ambassador Karl Eikenberry to issue a rare response Sunday at appearance before students at Herat University.

“When Americans, who are serving in your country at great cost — in terms of life and treasure — hear themselves compared with occupiers, told that they are only here to advance their own interest, and likened to the brutal enemies of the Afghan people," said Mr. Eikenberry, without mentioning Karzai by name, "they are filled with confusion and grow weary of our effort here.”

Take the Monitor's weekly news quiz! June 13-17

Yahoo! News

As Kabul Sees More Bloodshed, Karzai Drops Another Bombshell (Time.com)

The streets of central Kabul's bustling open-air Mandavi market was cleared of shopkeepers and shoppers early this afternoon after Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a large police station on the area's main street. The three attackers killed five civilians, three policemen and an intelligence officer when they breached the gate of the compound and opened fire, the Interior Ministry confirmed in a statement, according to Afghan news sources agencies. The insurgents were killed when the police returned fire.

The attack came just hours after President Hamid Karzai addressed a youth conference in the capital, denying reports that his government was in negotiations with the Taliban and, instead, suggesting that Washington was secretly in talks with the Islamist militants. "From the government side, we don't have any negotiations with them [the Taliban], but the important part is negotiations with the Pakistanis, which are very important for us," Karzai said, foreign and Afghan media reported. "The negotiations have started with those people and, God willing, these talks will continue. But foreign military forces and especially America are continuing this process," Karzai said. His speech was loaded with criticism of American and NATO actions within the country. Its apparent bullishness seemed to contradict statements Karzai had made in the past regarding face-to-face dialogue with the architects of the Taliban insurgency. (See pictures of the battle against the Taliban.)

The US has never openly confirmed such negotiations and the Taliban have outright denied their existence. Karzai regularly takes a harder-line concerning both the presence of foreign military forces and the activities of the Taliban when speaking to his domestic audience. A U.S. embassy official in Kabul offered Washington's longstanding talking points when speaking to Reuters: "We must help create conditions necessary to enable a political settlement among the Afghan people. This includes reconciling those insurgents who are willing to renounce al Qaeda, forsake violence and adhere to the Afghan constitution." It is unclear what Karzai's speech today will mean to US-Afghan relations, but after a series of recent statements by Karzai - one tearfully demanding the cessation of NATO air strikes in the country - it is clear that the relationship between the two countries is becoming increasingly strained. Debate continues to swirl in the US over President Barack Obama's expected announcement next month about how many troops will be withdrawn as part of a plan to send troops home and hand over security to Afghan forces by 2014.

But today in the Afghan capital, few were thinking of US-Afghan relations - rather focusing on the grim security situation at hand. Shortly after the attack, the bodies of two of those killed in the fighting were left lying in the street as police tried to restore calm. The body and face of one of the attackers, a young man, were torn with bullet wounds and the Afghan National Army fatigues he had used to blend in and breach the compound were soaked in drying blood. The second body - possibly a civilian - lay halfway up the street, just near the entrance of the police compound, covered by a sheet. Afghan news agencies and Afghan journalists on the scene said civilians were killed when police returned fire. (See pictures of the U.S. Marines' offensive in Afghanistan.)

Bursts of machine gun fire and single shots continued to crack and echo off the taller buildings and mosques in the center of the city, sending pedestrians ducking and running, as police in pickup trucks mounted with machineguns cordoned off a large area packed with government ministries, business centers and banks and tried to bring order to a chaotic scene. As ambulances finally reached the area and carried off the dead and wounded - which included two policemen and ten civilians - police were already washing large pools of blood out of the station and into the road.

"I was cleaning a vehicle when armed men shot two policemen manning the police station gate and then entered the building," said Nazifullah, an employee at the Kabul Revenue Department, nearby, Afghan news agencies reported. Other reports said one of the attackers detonated a suicide vest at the gate, but minimal damage appeared to suggest the insurgents had used rifles in the assault. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attacks, Afghan media reported.

The president's statements and the gun battle took place just weeks before limited foreign troop withdrawals are due to begin in selected provinces and cities around the war torn country. This most recent attack was carried out in central Kabul - one of the areas that will see a full security handover to Afghan forces in July - and should cause both foreign politicians and Afghan residents of the capital to question whether the country is ready for the coming security transition and the troop drawdown Afghanistan's President has long sought.

See what it will take to finish the job in Afghanistan.

See the battle in Kandahar.

View this article on Time.com

Most Popular on Time.com:

Yahoo! News

Karzai: U.S. in peace talks with Taliban

Afghan president Hamid Karzai says the U.S. is engaged in peace talks with the Taliban.Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells a youth group about the talksU.S. officials could not immediately be reached for commentU.S. Defense Secretary Gates has said reconciliation talks are possible

(CNN) -- The United States is involved in peace talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told a youth group in Kabul on Saturday. The speech was broadcast by Afghan state TV.

U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

At a news conference with Karzai earlier this month, outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked about making changes in Afghanistan.

"I believe that if we can hold on to the territory that has been recaptured from the Taliban between ourselves and the Afghan forces and perhaps expand that security, that we will be in a position toward the end of this year to perhaps have a successful opening with respect to reconciliation, or at least be in a position where we can say we've turned a corner here in Afghanistan," Gates said, referring to political reconciliation talks.

Gates made the statement during his last visit to Afghanistan as defense secretary. Karzai awarded Gates the Wazir Akbar Khan medal, the highest governmental award.

CNN

Obama, Karzai videoconference on Wednesday (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama will hold a videoconference with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on Wednesday as the US administration weighs a calendar to pull out troops, the White House said.

The news came after Obama convened his national security team Monday to discuss the war in Afghanistan and the situation in neighboring Pakistan, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

The White House meeting in the Situation Room comes a little over a month after US Navy SEALs killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his hideout deep in Pakistan.

A war-weary American public's opposition is growing and patience in Congress is wearing thin as the conflict approaches its 10-year mark with no let-up in sight from the Taliban insurgents and a soaring body-count.

Yahoo! News

Obama, Karzai Decry Koran Burning, Ensuing Attack

Associated Press

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet

President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have decried the Koran burning by a Florida minister last month and condemned the riot that ensued and left seven U.N. workers dead in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

In a teleconference Wednesday, the two leaders said the attack was an affront to human decency and dignity.

During the one one-hour call, Obama also welcomed Karzai's announcement last month that his nation's security forces would begin taking over from the U.S.-led coalition in seven parts of the country. Such Afghan lead is a first step toward his goal of having Afghan police and soldiers in charge by the end of 2014 so foreign combat troops can go home.

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet View ArticleLeave a CommentSort: NewestSort: Oldest Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. You must login to comment.

View Article

View All Comments

Latest Politics VideosMore »

View the Original article