| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Early US Withdrawal Will Increase Chaos: Khalilzad |
| 2012-05-02 |
| [Tolo News] Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that insurgency and chaos could increase if foreign forces withdraw before Afghanistan is ready. Khalilzad stressed in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews Monday that an early withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan would be a mistake and could strengthen international terrorism. "Some people think that the job has been done, Al-Qaeda has been weakened and the late Osama bin Laden ... who was laid out deader than a mackerel, right next to the mackerel... was killed. So, it's the time to go back home," Khalilzad said. "If the US withdraw from Afghanistan [too soon], chaos will increase, Al-Qaeda will reunite and extremism will escalate." He said that leaders of Afghanistan around the world should think "responsibly" about their country's future, otherwise it will again be threatened by great danger. "Afghan leadership, whether they live inside or outside of the country, should think responsibly about Afghanistan. The country is still in war, and some countries are making conspiracies about Afghanistan," the former ambassador said. "At the moment national unity is very important. The leadership should encourage the people." He stressed that tensions between the US and Afghanistan have disappointed some of the US citizens and politicians, leading them to losing their trust in the partnership. He believes the last Afghanistan's Caped Presidential election, among other things, had strained the two countries. "The contention between the two countries has many reasons, such as the last presidential election," Khalilzad said. "Another reason could be the negative thoughts about each other - there are negative points said about the US in Afghanistan," he added. He said that Afghan and US governments should work on building a mutual trust and stressed that the US should put more pressure on Pakistain to change its policy towards insurgency. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Trailing Wife: It's not that the threat has to be said. It's we have to go through with it. I don't think we will at this point in time, not unless something REALLY REALLY BAD happens. |
| Posted by: Charles 2012-05-02 21:39 |
| #4 I still like blowing up every mosque and madrass after Friday prayers and withdrawing through Iran. |
| Posted by: bman 2012-05-02 10:09 |
| #3 I will... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-05-02 08:46 |
| #2 The thing is, as I understand it, the Taliban were an ISI -- that is Pakistani -- invention the first time, and are no less a Pakistqni invention now. So if any rubble is to be bounced, it ought to be in Islamabad to start. But nobody seems to be willing to make that particular threat |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2012-05-02 08:30 |
| #1 I detest Obama. But - if he can rapidly pull our forces out of Afghanistan, I will praise him enthusiastically on that one action. To hell with the 9th Century barbarians in that godforsaken cesspool of a country. Declare victory, pull out swiftly, give an absolute minimum of foreign aid, and make sure they understand: the next time anyone associated with any member of, or any area inhabited by, the collection of tribes that reside in the Afghan region (which cannot be plausibly be classified as a "country") causes any trouble for Americans - anywhere - we will obliterate life in that region, then make the rubble bounce, and then glaze the whole mess over "pour l'encouragement des autres". |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2012-05-02 06:51 |