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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan Government Says NATO War 'Aimless, Unwise' |
| 2013-03-20 |
| [An Nahar] Afghanistan's presidential spokesman on Tuesday described the NATO-led military operation in the country as "aimless and unwise", in the latest government broadside against the coalition. Aimal Faizi, spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, hit out after NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen rejected Karzai's recent allegations that it was working in collusion with Taliban militants. "The people of Afghanistan ask NATO to define the purpose and aim of the so-called war on terror... (They) consider this war as aimless and unwise to continue," Faizi said in a statement. The verbal onslaught is set to worsen relations between Afghanistan and the international coalition that has been fighting for 11 years against Islamist militants who are trying to overthrow Karzai's government. In recent weeks Karzai has been staking out increasingly nationalist ground as he prepares for his final year in office before he steps down when presidential elections are held in April 2014. Next year will also see the withdrawal of all NATO combat troops from Afghanistan, leaving poorly-trained and inexperienced local security forces to take on the insurgents alone. Rasmussen, at a press conference earlier Tuesday in Brussels, said that instead of alleging collusion with the Taliban, Afghanistan should acknowledge NATO efforts to bring progress to the country. |
| Posted by:Fred |