WASHINGTON — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove corrupt officials from government, after high-profile international criticism that graft has undermined coalition war efforts. In an interview to be broadcast Monday, Karzai told PBS that "individuals who are involved in corruption will have no place in the government."| "Bring in a new batch of czars!" "Wrong country, sir." |
Karzai said he had asked US and European officials to present evidence of his brothers alleged corruption, but there was "never an answer."
| There never is ... |
Karzai, long supported by western governments, has seen ties with the west sour dramatically since he was re-elected in a widely condemned poll earlier this year. The poll coincided with a sharp upturn in violence and as US president Barack Obama weighted the possibility of sending tens-of-thousands more troops to the country to quell the bloodshed and tackle insurgents.
The UN recently announced it would withdraw more than 50 percent of its international staff, or 600 people, in the wake of an attack on a Kabul guesthouse that killed five UN staff.
Karzai said the move would have "no impact."
| He's certainly right about that ... |