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Subscribe to RSSWatch Atia Abawi's full, exclusive interview with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai in which he discusses the "growing perception" that insecurity in the region is caused by the United States and some of its allies who "promoted lawlessness" and "corruption" in Afghanistan.
Updated at 9:43 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai sharply criticized the United States in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Thursday, blaming American and NATO forces for some of the growing insecurity in his country.
"Part of the insecurity is coming to us from the structures that NATO and America created in Afghanistan," Karzai said during a one-on-one interview at the presidential palace. However, he also acknowledged that much of the country's violence was caused by insurgent groups.
The Taliban are regaining land and power lost after they were toppled by U.S.-backed forces in 2001. Meanwhile, Karzai has gone from being a favorite of Washington under the presidency of George W. Bush, to a thorn in the White House's side with his criticism of American night raids and mounting civilian casualties at the hands of NATO troops. Many in Washington have also grown weary of Karzai, viewing him as ineffective and presiding over a deeply corrupt government.
After 10 years of Karzai's rule, has life improved in Afghanistan?
Karzai, who is serving his second five-year term, also told NBC News that he had sent a letter to President Barack Obama saying that Afghanistan would not sign any new security agreements with the United States until hundreds of prisoners held in U.S. custody were transferred to Afghan authorities.
His criticism of the United States, Afghanistan's most important ally, has come after the start of complex bilateral talks on a security pact on the role the United States would play after most of its troops are withdrawn by the end of 2014.
Karzai said the inmates in American detention in Afghanistan were being held in breach of an agreement he and Obama signed in March and must be handed over immediately.
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More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
"We signed the strategic partnership agreement with the expectation and the hope ... the nature of the United States' activities in Afghanistan will change," Karzai said. But American behavior had not changed, he said, adding that terrorism would not be defeated "by attacking Afghan villages and Afghan homes."
PhotoBlog: Relentless Afghan conflict leaves traumatized generation
The dispute between the two countries centers around Bagram Air Base and a nearby detention facility, which have long been seen as a symbol of American impunity and disrespect by many Afghans.
"I have written to President Obama that the Afghan people will not allow its government to enter into a security agreement, while the United States continues to violate Afghan sovereignty and Afghan loss," he said.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai had harsh words for the U.S. during an exclusive interview with NBC's Atia Abawi.
During the interview, Karzai also said that he didn't think al-Qaida "has a presence in Afghanistan."
He added: "I don’t even know if al-Qaida exists as an organization as it is being spoken about. So all we know is that we have insecurity."
Newlywed beheaded for her refusal to become a prostitute
In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the United States led the invasion to topple the Taliban, which was harboring al-Qaida and its then-leader, Osama bin Laden. While weakened, especially after the death of bin Laden at the hands of U.S. special forces in Pakistan in 2011, al-Qaida is still thought to have strong links with the Taliban and other Afghan insurgents.
Karzai said Afghans were thankful to foreign forces for being "liberated" in 2001, but complained that since then his countrymen had suffered the most in the fight against extremism.
Panetta: US foresees 'enduring presence' to fight al-Qaida in Afghanistan
"In the name of the war on terror the Afghan people have paid the greatest price of any. That has not been recognized," he said.
While there have been more than 2,000 American military casualties since the invasion of Afghanistan, civilians have borne the brunt of the violence. In the first six months of 2012 alone, more than 3,000 civilians were killed or injured, according the United Nations. This number was down 15 percent from a year earlier. Anti-government and coalition insurgents were responsible for 80 percent of the civilian casualties, the U.N. says.
Karzai also addressed the issue of graft during the interview, saying there was "no doubt that there is corruption in Afghanistan."
As Taliban regroup, victims battle for 'free' Afghanistan
In an exclusive interview with NBC's Atia Abawi, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai says that the U.S. is not sticking to a signed agreement between their two countries.
"The bigger corruption is the corruption in contracts," he added. "The contracts are not issued by the Afghan government. The contracts are issued by the international community, mainly by the United States."
In 2010, the country received $6.4 billion in official development assistance, representing more than 40 percent of its gross domestic product, according to humanitarian news site AlertNet. Two-thirds of the funds aren't channeled through the government because of concerns about corruption and the government's ability to use the money properly, AlertNet added.
Afghanistan is tied with Somalia and North Korea at the bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2012. A 2012 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report estimated that Afghans paid $2.5 billion in bribes over 12 months, which is equivalent to almost a quarter of the country’s GDP.
Kevin Frayer / AP
In southern Afghanistan, the focus of the U.S. war effort, nearly all the Afghan soldiers are foreigners too. Photographer Kevin Frayer shows these soldiers in a series of portraits.
The international community had fostered graft to keep the Afghan state weak, Karzai said.
"I've come to believe (that) ... corruption comes from the United States through contracts and through the corruption in both systems," he said, adding that the "perception of corruption is deliberate to render the Afghan government exploitable, to weaken it," he said. "This is something that I have began to believe in firmly now after the experiences that I've gained in ... working on this issue."
NBC News' F. Brinley Bruton and Kiko Itasaka contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
enough is enough. They don't want us, just our dollars. F&^k em. Way too much blood an treasure wasted on an ungratefull people. Let them have the frick'n Taliban. Let the Pakistanis deal with the mess. We killed Binladen and decimated Al'Qaida. Misson accomplished I say. Bring my brothers home NOW.
Retired Mil.
I'm with you LEO, if We expect to start to piece back our country together We need to cut these blood sucking cry babies off our Welfare program for foreign countries, and take care of our real need our people that now live on the streets of America, just who the FU_K do these politicians think they are letting whole families here in America live on the streets while they are giving Billions to other countries, 99% of American HAVE NO INTEREST in these foreign countries, the RICH need to spend their own monies to protect their own interest and let their own KIDS die for their own greed, they fight a TAX increase but really who's interest is in those foreign countries sure as hell isn't mine.
What a disgusting POS Karzai has turned out to be plus his looted millions of US taxpayer's dollars. Of course NATO should leave his sh**hole country and I for one will be cheering when Karzai's throat is cut by the Taliban in front of thousands in Kabul's soccer stadium. Oh, right, he'll be in a villa in the south of France enjoying his loot. Ah, but maybe a SEAL team could get the POS there and blame it on the Taliban.
yea Buddy!!!
Hey Karzai.
F*ck you.
We would have been better off by giving the military a misson,then cut the leash and let the military open a can of whoop azz on the enemy.Instead, People prefer to listen to weak willed politicians and ARMCHAIR GENERALS.This has not been the kind of war you can win using conventional methods to measure success.Anyway it's too late to turn things around now.Our enemies view us as weak willed cowards who will run away when the going gets tough.Our Allies view us as a strong military with weak political leadership that will run from a fight when the going gets tough.So now we have enemies that don't fear us and allies that don't respect us.I have personally interogated enough Taliban insurgents and talked to enough NATO officers to know that this is what they really believe to be true.Take it or leave it people.
Leo,I agree with you 110 %,anymore problems there should be met a with a BB ,Bomb and Be GONE!!
Just see how ungrateful the most corrupt and major problem, Karzai is.
He, his relations and cronies have looted huge monies and favors and these people know only double talking, double dealing and backstabbing.
Just read the interview to get an idea what a backstabbing animal Karzai is!
Mind you: he, like many Afghan and Paki backstabbing criminals, will run to Britain or some western nation at the first opportunity. They have already looted enough of our tax monies.
One example: Paki criminal and backstabber Gen Mush is in London and his son is in the US.
Bin Laden is dead and al-Qaida (Taliban) in on the run. Just one of the many lies told to the people by Obamas reelection team....Many more to to be revealed in 2013.
Sorry to digress but that Afghans foot is over the line that try should not have counted.lol
Now back to the war.
One can't believe how dumb Bush and his team were when they were into Afghan wars.
Before NATO forces entered Afghanistan, Northern Alliance led by Gen Dostum was fighting Taliban.
NA helped NATO forces while advancing too.
Then came this Karzai from no where and Pakis, the regular advisors.
All of a sudden, NA became enemies and Gen Dostum was about to be tried for "human rights" violations.
Gen Dostum took asylum in Turkey!
What a way to fight war and what an allies to have!
The Afghans have had instability since the time of Alexander. The will still be unstable after we leave.
The American politicians freely give Karzai boatloads of cash; Karzai doesn't have to steal it. There is so much money to be made, Leon Panetta now says troops will always be in Afghanistan. So much for campaign promises from Obama.
Another ungrateful muslim, turning his back on those who helped, and returning to an Islamic state of mind. (America hates us, lets destroy all Christians and Jews.)
If it weren't for American's that fool would already be dead.
Zheng He
Who got us in Afghanistan in the first place? BUSH? Obama wouldn't have to clean up this mess if we were never there to begin with. Maybe Obama should just ignore what our top military commanders have to say about it all. He should have just pulled the troops out on day one of his presidency. Then you could have blamed him for that too.
As for Karzai, if this is how you really feel, let's pull our troops out immediate and see how fast your regime will continue.
Thanks, Hami-baby! I'm all in favor, let's get all Americans out of that hell-hole right now.
Karzai knows he must distance himself from the US. The US is the hated infidel enemy. It doesn't matter what the US or NATO does, they are the enemy by religious definition, unless they submit to the Taliban. There is an incurable mental disease that has obliterated any semblance of culture. For almost 1 millennium, the sick minds have been killing the healthy minds with religious zeal and impunity. Those who do engage in free-thought keep it to themselves lest they be summarily executed as an apostate. The Sharia is quite clear in this regard, Bukhari, volume 9, #57 explains in detail how to execute atheists and freethinkers.
Islam, or it's fundamental interpretation, is an existential threat to any un-Islamic culture it touches. Just ask the Buddhists of Afghanistan...oh wait, they're extinct.
The Taliban, the brotherhood, etc.. are existential threats to our monumental architecture, our transportation networks, our clean water supply, our religious freedoms. I appreciate the military and the president for protecting them. Is multi-culturalism an existential threat to the unbeliever? Is disbelief offensive toward Islam?
Qur'an: 8:55: "Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve"
As far as Karzai is concerned, I sympathize with his precarious position. He is the exposed leader of a culture of assassins. He needs to state his allegiances very carefully.
In a final note, the primary source of electricity is provided by hydro-electric dams. The only two major sources were built by American contractors in the 1950's and the Russians in the 1970's. They are the only ones and are still in operation. The Taliban has done nothing but destroy parts of the grid through thier sabotage efforts. As I said in my first paragraph, there is nothing to be done that would be appreciated.
“In a time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ~George Orwell
Well then by all means let US pull Our Troops out of Afghanistan and leave the CIA Opium Fields to the Taliban to Burn.....Hahahaha like that is EVER going to be allowed to happen again!
Don't believe? Well 1000 pictures should be worth a Million Words....https://www.google.com/search?q=US+Army+defending+Opium+Fields&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&ei=KonAUNjBKI3piwKejoEg&ved=0CH4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=612
And to help fill in the details....http://www.infowars.com/war-on-drugs-is-a-hoax-us-admits-to-guarding-assisting-lucrative-afghan-opium-trade/
And how where these "Crimes" be allowed to happen.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l-8PFk8j5I
And what does the Military say about how this happened....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw&feature=g-all-f
But if all you want to do is to try and look like "Alice Cooper" and shout Obscenities instead of posting supporting links (as I have) please don't bother responding!
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.” ~George Orwell, 1984
When they make the movie "The Fall of Hamid Karzai" please, please, please cast Ben Kingsley!
There are several comments above stating that Karzai is "ungrateful." I don't recall the Afghans asking us to come in. We attacked their country and the ruling party there at the time. We have created the instability. Let's GTFO of Afghanistan and the rest of the ME.
You mean that's NOT Ben Kingsley? Damn, Karzai needs to be his stunt double then in his next action movie and earn the American dollars we are giving him.
Seriously though, as one poster put it, "SCREW YOU KARZAI" America has sacrificed too many good men already for you to criticize now!
You want us out and the Taliban back in? You want prisoners back? OK
You want American money and military protection? THEN STFU!!!!!!!!
To hell with 2014, get our troops out now and let Karzai run the gamut of his little power play and see how long it takes for a video to appear on Al Jazera of his beheading at the hands of the Taliban.
Anyone REALLY care what Karzai really thinks here? After the Taliban take over that cesspool he'll be dead anyway. And no one will shed a tear.
NO business there
When all is said and done, it will be clear that the actions and incompetence of our President, Barack Obama has contributed significantly to making the world a much more unstable and dangerous place.
We're living those historical mis-steps today that others will read about and study in the future.
Ironic, particularly after his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
Lol more morons...seems like they arrive by the truckloads now. You morons only have yourselves to blame. Weak politicians is do to how we elect our officials. It is a popularity contest and sound bites matter more then abilities or skill. Politicians have to cater to enough groups while not offending others so they can keep their job and get re-elected next term or to leap frog their way to an even better position. They do not want to have to get a real job when they get to work only a 1/3 of the year or less and get money thrown at them to buy their votes. Elect someone like me who is hard, but fair and I will make everyone cry, b***h, moan, and complain. People would equally hate me, but I would get the job done. Every a$$ needs a foot up it every once in awhile, does an a$$ good :P. Maybe we should change how we elect our officials and outlaw lobbying at the same time too.
The other problem is we never want to pay for any of these wars once we find out how much it is going to cost us. There is a group of us that wants to cut programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc. instead or refuses to increase revenue by letting some stupid tax cuts expire that they NEVER should have got in the first place to help pay for them either. Hard to have the world's largest military, but one of the lowest income taxes of any of the developed nations. Before you spout some B.S. about our taxes rates please go ACTUALLY look them up. See how much Germany, Britain, France, etc. pay in taxes. What this country used to have for a tax rate and how many tax brackets we used to have.
Call me an armchair general all you want, but had we been willing to foot the bill and actually sent more troops there the first time we went after Osama, we would have caught or killed him. We could have let their courts try him too or tried to get their government in trouble for helping him, but nooo we had to do it ourselves and be as cheap as possible at the same time. How much did it cost us in the long run in lives and resources? Had we killed Osama the first time would there had been a reason to invade Iraq? Some people just look for excuses to invade other countries since there are lucrative contracts on the line.
It has been and will always be about the money. Want to cripple the U.S. war machine? Cripple its economy for long enough and many of its spoiled a$$ children will cry bloody murder since they care more about themselves and their SUVs, smartphones, clothes, cheeseburgers, A/C, etc. versus anything else. Add in some casualties, graphic media coverage, internet, etc. and it does not take long to change popular opinion. Why did Osama attack Wall Street again? If only he did not kill so many people only to shut it down for such a short period of time.
Yeah Marcus..... Obama starting unfunded wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What a tyrant he is.....
To go back, Afghanistan - Graveyard of Empires. Bring the troops home and exit the place, leave it well alone.
He is blaming us for his nations "insecurity"? This is a perfect opening for use to simply say "we will no longer be the cause of your insecurity we are leaving now. To Pakistan brace yourself the $5000 per truck load of supplies that have been propping you up - GONE. See how well you do on your own.
Been fun gotta run!
If any member of your society or those you support attack the USA again we will make both your nations green glass deserts.
Chris from Yucaipa:
Karzai and like of him: .... dry!
We just had 2 of our local young men killed over there the other day. I hope they didn't die for nothing. Time to abandon that backwards place and quit giving them our money. They still want to live like it's 1500's, let them. I don't think our nat'l guard boys should be guarding poppy fields anyhow so someone can get rich selling heroin.
@wornout;
If only it were that easy. I do agree it is time to leave, let the drones "watch" over the Taliban there are millions of "experts" training themselves on the 360 as we speak. The controller to control most of the the drones is almost exactly like the ones we use at home. shhh.
We must maintain a presence here even after the exit plan. Karzai does not dictate what we do. His days are numbered. The deeper reason for our remaining presence are the rare earth minerals and lithium. China as usual has already began mining in Afghanistan, while our guys and gals die to fight terror,and help Afghanistan to stability. Tired of that crap from China not getting their hands dirty to help, but they surely help themselves to the spoils of other countries.
Wussies!
the puppet governments of the CIA and IMF/World Bank are doomed to fail, while we are kept distracted by our own puppets. for those of us who knew the severity of the Iran-Contra affair, this is no surprise. while our elections are controlled by the magicians behind the curtain, we clamor like teenagers at a Bieber concert over our actors, warmongers (I and II), drunkards (II) and womanizers, or any other "elitist" who can buy the most votes. Karzai is just one of the few reigning terrorists left of the Reagan/Bush/li'l bushy/Cheney-gang cartel, and we the people are paying the price for selling our soul to the Iranians and Bin Laden, et al. Karma'a a beach, eh?
ItsAboutTime-3704531
Yep Bush started it but Obama ramped it up and has made major mistakes since, you cant continue to blame Bush for Obama's incompetence when he is in his second term now. At some point Obama has to take responsibility for his administration. That being said, I do not understand why we are talking about raising taxs here when we continue to throw money down the drain by handing it to countries like this. I feel there needs to be a law passed stating if our federal budget does not balance then we dont give money away to worthless countries who do not want to be a part of the solution.
Long past the time for us to leave that pit of $hit. This jsut confirms it.
@mad;
Wow sir way to make no sense at all. lol
There wouldn't be so much insecurity and civilian casalities if the Afghan people would just stand up and fight back. Instead they rely on foreign forces to do what they should now be in a position to do, get rid of their domestic terrorists.
And there-in lies the problem. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were Afghanistan problems. If Bush would have continued the fight in Afghanistan against these forces it would probably be different today, but oh no, Bush had to pull troops and involve them in an illegal invasion of Iraq just to get Saddam. To make it worst, Al-Qaeda did not even care about Iraq until Bush went there, and in response we ended up with Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, two groups founded in 2003 as a reaction to the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq fighting our troops.
So yea, once again, IT IS Bush's fault!
@mad;
Exactly, and many people have no idea the long history behind the Bush and bin laden families, including the poster who commented to you.
Hey Karzai! You knew I was a snake before you took me in - Sin loi. I agree w/Coral Taxi - the mohammedan is clearly over the line & "about to enter a world of hurt."
@spc;
Exactly.
The reason I stopped supporting our presence was that the people were turning against us after helping them to elections more rights for women. Without the support of the people all the guns in the world will not help.
The insider killings made me sick to my stomach, and a hope for the fastest exit possible. They need to stand up for themselves we gave them a start,now let them finish or face opression for who knows how long under the Taliban.
@mad/moshu;
Ahh now I see conspiracy theorists . They are watching you right now !lol
What an ungrateful and unappreciative POS this guy Karzai is! Our troops do the fighting and the dying and this worthless excuse of a president gets filthy rich siphoning off the aid money his country gets! We obviously are not wanted or appreciated by him or his flea bitten sand trap of a country so pull our troops out now and stop all aid, both monetary and military immediately and see how he likes it. Then his people can all kill each other without any help from the west. Karzai is already in bed with the Taliban and they will be running the country within weeks after we leave. They deserve each other. The only ones I pity are the women and small children that the Taliban will once again abuse openly under their twisted interpretations of Sharia law!
There is a lesson here that is being ignored. Karzi is clearly ungrateful and that is because he is GIVEN aid without any enforced participation to live up to his part of many bargains. GIVING without expecting will ALWAYS produce this sort of reaction from the one getting the help. I am not only speaking about foreign aid, but aid by any government to its people that want the hand out without doing the work to get it. The US is famous for throwing money at issues and never weighing if the response is healthy and helpful. Karzi is acting like a spoiled child and we made him like this.
I have no doubt that the civilians are getting the worst end of the deal. It is because the fight is in their own country. It is impossible to wage war on those that live amongst the civilians without collateral damage. The problem is when the civilian population is taking the greater hit and the insurgency is getting away with limited damage, the population begins to turn on the invader that is making life worse for them.
The US keeps putting down red lines, and using lost of threats to get cooperation, but they never enforce and thus the money is continuously thrown down this money pit.
Afghanistan is a mess. Iraq is a mess. Syria is a mess. Iran is a mess. Egypt is a mess. Libya is a mess. Palestine is a mess. I see no improvement and this list isn't complete.
it seems this country is falling apart...hope it always was and this is just the norm. and wow those pictures of the poppy operation with US military watch dogs is quite serious.
Call it: Biting the hand that feeds you.
This is the gratitude Karzai has shown the US for the massive efforts that have been displayed for all these years.
In return, the US should pull out and cut off the pipeline of monies and allow these countries to settle back into their own endless struggles of which they have displayed they can never overcome. We tried, now time to leave them to their own. Period, end of story.
Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ... Where are all the supporters of this war now? LMAO
The military industrial complex puppets not paying you to post anymore?
A CURSE upon George W. Bush for taking the US Army into Afghanistan, now Americas longest war, which was totally un necessary...the only goal was to kill off the 300 to 400 Al Quaeda members who were hiding out there, and easily identified.
We would have been much better off just using drone attacks to get them...even the Taliban disliked Al Quaeda...Al Quaeda consists of Arabs, and Afghanis do not like Arabs, but they were set to protect them from the US as fellow Muslims...so,now, we have been locked into futile combat, seemingly endless, in a landlocked country which has NEVER been a unified nation..........and it added $2 Trillion dollars to our deficit and according the the Veterans Administration, 50% of returning vets have filed for VA Disability, which we will be paying for over the next 60 years !
Alexander the Great, a Persian, tried in vain to conquer Afghanistan 3000 years ago..he failed too, just declared victory, and moved out....170 years ago, England invaded, and got their butts kicked too, declared victory and left..may Bush go down in history as another great failure.
Hey MUW. Thanks, I didn't know how to get the communist point of view. RT what a joke. Look if I wanted to listen to propaganda I would turn on NBC.
The Taliban had accepted Bin Laden and Al Qaida because Bin Laden had married several daughters of key Taliban leaders to establish "family ties". Hold off on the comments please. The Taliban required Bin Laden to leave under some international pressure and as a means to draw attention away from it's already rigid standards set by the senior Islamist leaders. Bin Laden was not "kicked out" he was asked to leave. He had supporters and followers within the Taliban. Also portions of his immediate circles within Bin Laden's trusted friends and followers Afghans and Pashtu's who had fought with Bin laden against the Soviets during the "Soviet-Jihad". Pakistan supported the Afghans who later formed the center of the Taiban. But there are several other groups to include the Haqqani Network that support Taliban operations. In the end Pakistan holds the ability to curb Taliban capabilities, personnel, weapons, and training. But you are missing the bigger picture with the attempt to just blame Bush jr approach.
Karsi is a piece of crap and we have known this since day one. His family members are corrupt and have stolen millions of tax dollars. When it is all said and done, we should remind Karzi that if he thinks he will be riding a helicopter out of the country and living in some Swiss villa sitting on US millions, that there will be some US special operator waiting to give a double tap and we confiscate the money back.
If that happens I guess it would be another lost war like Vietnam.
It's a simple cause/effect. Just elect politicians, Democrats and Republicans, whose sole purpose is to promote themselves financially with no accountability and no moral or ethical standards. Our Congress rots from within. I'm sickened when I think of how it was when I was young where you had standards to live by and were held to them. Now, you can lie, cheat, steal, and nobody cares. Too many spend all their time looking for government handouts rather than working for what they need. Spend more than you make/have and you will eventually pay, read America. Karl Marx said "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". That's socialism/communism folks, and that's where our government is pointing us. I'm old, but I'll fight if I need to and I'm thinking many other Americans will too.
I never wrote to a politician until now, and I do so almost daily with my opinion, normally a complaint. Call me what you will, but if you're younger, I have sympathy for what you're headed for. It may be too late, but best you wake up and demand responsibility from Congress.
Start by stopping foreign aid, secure our borders/stop immigration and deport illegals, balance our budget and pay down our debt. Again, I've had my life, but if yours is in front of you, act now. Stop being a Republican or Democrat and just be an American unless you've forgotten how.
Hmmm... seems like Mr. Karzi is (desperate) trying to make friends on the "other" side... now that he see the end is near for U.S. and NATO troops in his country he has to try to keep his power base... but nobody is buying his BS, he'll probably leave (with all of the loot he's been hiding) before we do, hell, that's what any dictator would do if he had any sense.
Step 1: Offer HUGE bags of cash (bribery) Karzai already had BIG BAGS
Step 2: If cash is not accepted then heavy economic sanctions occur
Step 3: If cash or economic sanctions do not work, send in the assassins secretly
Step 4: If big bags of cash, economic sanctions or Secret Assassins do not work then as a last resort you send the military in. This is the last and least preferred step.
That is 100% how AMERICA rolls ...no sugar coating it... THIS IS HOW AMERICA WORKS.
This is how it is done and it will continue... if you do not think this is how it is, with over 700+ military bases NOT on US soil, then you are not very wise nor informed.
THIS IS HOW IT IS AND NO ONE, not you, your mother, your president or congressman/women can CHANGE IT. THIS IS HOW AMERICA GETS IT DONE FOR AMERICA.
This is the Military Industrial Complex in FULL SWING since the end of world war II. If you do NOT like what your reading here I am sorry. But these are the facts of Americas Fiat currency system and the new world order.
GhostOfNixon
"mark it zero Dude"
@coral taxi..."just because you ain't paranoid, don't mean they ain't out to getcha"...i don't usually respond to "lol" comments...lol :).
Before Karzai was put into power by the USA he was giving happy ending down at DuPont Circle....
Put and end to this madness and GTFO! Wash our hands completely of this!
Leo, you are dead on. They hate us now, they hated us before, they will hate us in the future. With their Presidents statement, we should pack up every last person and piece of equipment and come home. I lost another friend ove there a few weeks ago. We need to end this now, not in another year. I would have to agree on his corruption opinions though. These contractors stand to lose billions in government money if they do not have a job over their. 90% of the contractor companies started up after the war started. The only major player that I had even heard of prior to the war was Blackwater (XE then Academi) and Ionly knew of them because I helped break ground on the facility. Let them run their own country. Our "do it our way" philosophy is what led to some of this junk in the first place.
Make reservations for the savages to live on. Time to kick ass and take over for the good of humanity.
"As America's New War now begins focusing on other "rogue nations," UNOCAL's stars have magically aligned. About two months after the Houston parties, UNOCAL executive John Maresca addressed the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and urged support for establishment of an investor-friendly climate in Afghanistan, "... we have made it clear that construction of our proposed pipeline cannot begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments, lenders and our company." Meaning that UNOCAL's ability to construct the Afghan pipeline was a cause worthy of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Maresca's prayers have been answered with the Taliban's replacement. As reported in Le Monde, the new Afghan government's head, Hamid Karzai, formerly served as a UNOCAL consultant. Only nine days after Karzai's ascension, President Bush nominated another UNOCAL consultant and former Taliban defender, Zalmay Khalilzad, as his special envoy to Afghanistan."
http://www.counterpunch.org/tomenron.html
And we're shocked and surprised that he's running a corrupt back stabbing regime?Sorry to repeat the mantra but yes, Bush done it.
old guy
there you go making sense and I totally agree. we need to get back to america first by doing the things you suggest and get out of any dealings with the un. the younger generation has been washed into thinking redistubution of wealth will fix all.
Leo and Gunner you are so right on!
We are talking about a politician whos brother is a known drug dealer and he has the ghaul to call us the ones to blame for his countries corruption and problems. Please! Hes the one who let these extremists loose in his country ...and if he says different hes lying. The man is a corrupt spy! He wants it both ways ..he wants us to do all the fighting for him and get paid by us to support him, his military and his generals while the rest of his country suffers. If he says hes not skimming hes full of crap. I say lets pack our guys, weapons and cash up and leave them to sort out their own problems. If we are suck arssholes then why do they always ask us for help when they are in trouble? I say Scr*w um! We can use the cash we give him to take care of our own country...and we can use the cash to pay down our deficit. I say lets let them take care of their own problems from now on. I'm sick of these guys always talking smack to us after we bleed for them because they are too lazy to fight their own battles. Who can they blame once we leave? Its time to come home now and be done with these morons. The Chinese may have had it right when they build their great wall! Lets build a wall between Europe and the US and the middle east and leave them to fend for themsleves. We had to figure things out without help ..let them do the same.
I guess it won't be long and Obama will have the whole world pissed off at us and we will be unable to fight them off because Obama wants to reduce the budget for the military. So it looks like in a short time, we will be fighting them off, here in this country because Obama is a spineless leader.
20% of 6000 is 1200 civilian casualties a year caused by Western forces. Total amount of US killed after 10 years is something around 2000. That means that there are 6 dead CIVILIAN Afghanistanis for every one dead american. And yet we don't talk about their dead. All we ever talk about is how many americans died. As if Americans are the only people with "real" lives.
I'd like the right-wingers on these posts to respond to that number. WOULD YOU support a foreign invader who killed 1200 innocent people a year in 'collateral damage'? Would you accept their excuses? Now when you watch that right-wing Red Dawn crap, imagine that it isn't the North Koreans invading, it's the US.
But wait. I guess if you're born in afghanistan, you can't be a civilian? All "moslems" are terrorists, right? Even the women and children. And when you give them democracy and they put up someone who actually cares about Afghanistan's interests instead of American interests, we're surprised when he's "ungrateful".
How 'grateful' would you be if 1200 civilians were murdered every year by western forces, and there was no way to hold them accountable for it?
Should have nuked the frakkers and saved the time.
Fine. Then pull our money and our troops OUT!
And please God--isn't it about time you people quit blaming everything going on in the world on Bush? Instead of playing the blame game, which helps absolutely NOBODY, come up with some freaking answers!!
It's time Obama started taking responsibility and take action, and if you koolaid drinkers can't do anything besides play the blame game, STHU.
F#ck you Karzai. How about we pull all of our troops out, all of our funding for your sh-t hole country and never let one of our contractors go over there and build anything up. Lets see you start crying and bitching then. Here is your chance to pull the troops and money out of that hell hole, Obama.
Blah blah whine whine blah blah blah...
Yep, we only have a couple of Taliban, and other imported Terrorists, left in the country.
We want ALL detainees held by the U.S./NATO released so they can slither back in our countryside, climb to the top of mountains, and live in caves planning their next moves against the "invaders". Wait, they can set up camp within our cities.
BTW: We need MORE funding to support our local tribes, infrastructure, educational system, and health care institutions. I promise, none of the funding will get mis-directed.
This guy must be living under a mushroom.
Liam - I agree with you on nearly every point you made, but Alexander the Great was a Macedonian, not a Persian although he did conquer Persia on his way to India.
It's past time for us to get out of Afghanistan. There is nothing more than can be done there. If the mission in Afghanistan was to take out bin Laden and weaken al Queda, then that objective has already been met. There is no way we can stabilize that country, and, Mr. Karzai, be careful what you wish for. When we leave, your life expectancy will be about 10 nanoseconds. The only reason you are in power in the first place is because you were Bush's puppet.
Time to let the Garden-Gnome get his own people to guard his poppy fields instead of our troops...We need to come home if we're not allowed to fight to win.......and what is to win at this point????......China is still going to get thier 'rare earths metals'...(you know, the stuff to make the batteries in ALL of your cell phones,...and the subsidized electric cars....).....let China protect it's own workers...not us............a-stan is still stuck in the 4th century where they prefer to be..........Of course that would mean taking all our money out too....after all,what would they need our money for back in the 4th century??????..........U.S.Army Disabled Veteran
Hey Motegaze, if we flew planes into downtown Seoul or Kabul and targeted buildings with the most people in them just to get the highest body count youre damn right I would expect them to want to invade the US. You see the situation is a little different or maybe youre still one of those kooks who believe we went into Iraq for oil and didnt realize that 100% of ALL Iraqi oil contracts went to the Russians and Chinese. Go sell your logic somewhere else.
**********************Pathetic once again (posts above and below):************************
http://money.msn.com/investing/11-things-wrong-with-congress
First, the Money (Billions USDs). I told all of you before that the Billions USDs were controlled by President Obama's Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke. Because Billions USDs were being spent (US Department of State's Contracts) and nothing was being built nor accomplished, that President Karzai Requested that President Obama's Appointed Registered Democrat General McChrystal was asked to Investigate President Obama's Appointed Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke. General McChrystal f**ked up and notified President Obama's Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke that he was investigating them, then they started adverse actions against General McChrystal to get him Relieved of Command to stop his investigations of them (President Obama's Political Appointee Eikenberry leaks things against General McChrystal and President Karzai to the News Media).
Then to deflect blame from themselves (Eikenberry and Holbrooke) they started screaming to the News Media "Karzai Corrupt".
General McChrystal (US Army Special Forces, US Military Asymmetric Warfare Insurgency, Counter Insurgency, Counter Terrorism, Humanitarian Assistance, etc.) knew that President Obama's Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke by screaming "Karzai Corrupt" just handed the Taliban, Al Quada, etc. the STRATEGIC Asymmetric Warfare Goals of: "Undermining the Established Government of a US Ally", "Gave Local Support To The Taliban, Al Quada, etc.", "Gave National Support To the Taliban, Al Quada, etc.", "Gave International Support to the Taliban, Al Quada, etc.", "Underminded the US and US Allies National Will to maintain the Fight (War)".
From President Karzai point of view the spending of Billions USDs at his Nation with nothing being built nor done only reflected on him, as he was promised that water, electricity, etc. would be restored by the US Politicians and he included this into his Presidential Campaign promises to the Afghan People, so when this fell thru (Billions spent by the US Department of State on Contracts, with no results), this too turned the Afghan people against President Karzai, and in favor of the Taliban and Al Quada.
After General McChrystal resigned President Karzai requested that General Petraeus continue the Investigations of President Obama's Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke with the Result that President Karzai demanding that they account for every dime spent in his Country. President Obama requests that his Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke Tender Letters of Resignation (too bad the damage they did at Afghanistan and Pakistan is permanent).
To the uneducated above and below, from the 1950s till 1979 (USSR 40th Army Invasion) the US Built up US Ally Afghanistan into a 20th Century "Little America". After Operation Cyclone the US Abandoned US Ally Afghanistan, leaving the US Ally 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen to get massacred by the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban. Then the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban massacred all Collaborators to the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers. Anything that was "Modern", "Non Islamic", "Western" was then destroyed by the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, with US Ally Afghanistan being plunged from the 20th Century all the way back to the Stone Ages and Fundamentalist Islamic Sharia Laws.
The majority of you have NO idea of even who, what, why, where, when, how, etc. of the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban or even Fundamentalist Islamic Osama Bin Laden and his Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada International Franchises. The proof is your uneducated belief as to how many actually exist as the "Holy Warriors of Islam" fighting on behalf of and fully supported by the over 1.5 Billion Islamic Believers Worldwide (Majority being Fundamentalist Islam) with Trillions USDs per year of Mandatory Islamic Tithes as required by current Islamic Laws.
Wrong Political Party. President Obama, "Iraq was the wrong War, Afghanistan is the right War".
Just the majority of the over 1.5 Billion Islamic Believers that are Fundamentalist Islamic Believers, that use the Holy Koran as Law, Sharia Laws, Hadith Laws. And as Islamic Believers completely subjugated to Islam becoming Muslims with the 100% Belief in the 109 Suras of the 114 Suras of the Holy Koran (Quran) Calls to All Islamic Believers to War Against the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers.
Nice emotive attempt to gain sympathy for "innocents", that in reality do not exist in the Real World of Asymmetric Warfare (Insurgency, Counter Insurgency, Counter Terrorism). The US and US Allies are NOT kidnapping Afghan children, strapping remote detonated backpack bombs to them and sending them to us or the Afghan Security Forces; or at the very least using their children as look outs or even for intelligence gathering. The Afghan women being used as pack mules; smuggling of weapons, bombs, ammunition, etc.; suicide vests; traded and treated like slaves (actually lower than animals); etc..
And of course by Fundamentalist Islamic Laws, the Requirement to provide Islamic Sanctuary, especially to the Holy Warriors of Islam.
MORE PROOF OF JUST HOW UNEDUCATED PEOPLE ARE INCLUDING THOSE THAT VOTED FOR:
Until Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada and OsamaBin Laden conducted the 9/11 2001 Attacks while being provided with Islamic Sanctuary by the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban.
FOS (Full Of Sh!t) moshuluu.
After the 9/11 2001 Attacks the CIA's SAD/SOG went into Afghanistan to eliminate those responsible for the 9/11 2001 Attacks and Failed. In October 2001 we went into Afghanistan and succeeded in the stated Mission of Overthrowing the Taliban, Al Quada, and destroying the Islamic Jihadist Training Camps. Afterwards we chased them along the Old Silk Road into Northern Iraq, they combined with the Fundamentalist Islamic Kurdistanis and became Ansar Al Islam. Some also fled into Pakistan. The Politicians ordered us to stop pursuit (killing them with extreme prejudice) as not to violate the sovereign Nations of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan.
In 2001 we (survivors) augmented by the US Army 10th Special Forces Group are sent into Northern Iraq as 2001 Operation Viking Hammer, Mission: Eliminate the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists that escaped us from Afghanistan and became Ansar Al Islam. Before we could eliminate them the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran gave them Islamic Sanctuary with many returning back to Afghanistan via the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran. Some also fled south to Islamic Sanctuary as provided by the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia of Iraq, they become the Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada Iraq (AQI) Franchise.
The major screw up was that Afghanistan was a UN Mission, so NATO appointed Gentleman British General McColl as the Commander Asymmetric War Afghanistan, since he had NO experience with Asymmetric Warfare and only British Conventional Warfare he did not even attempt to stop the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists from returning to Afghanistan from Northern Iraq nor Pakistan. They typical Conventional Warfare mentality of Civilian Rules to make War "Civilized" with "Fair Fights".
While still at Northern Iraq our Mission is changed to prepare to accomplish President Clinton's US Law, H.R.4655 "Iraqis Liberation Act of 1998" Justification Section 2 WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, Section 3 US Policy Overthrow of President Hussein, with US Congressional Appropriations. Previously, President Clinton FAILED with his 1998 US Military Operation Desert Fox, that resulted in the Islamic World condemning the US as the Great Satan.
This mission is known as 2002 Operation Hotel California, as preparation for the US Military Liberation of Iraq as 2003 Operation Iraqis Freedom in accordance with President Clinton's US Law, H.R.4655 Section 3 US Policy Overthrow of President Hussein, with US Congressional Appropriations.
As far as Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction, read Section 2 of President Clinton's H.R.4655 and President Clinton's 1998 State of the Union Address:
H.R.4655
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1057063/posts
Why are you so uneducated moshuluu, you know that the term "illegal" means Violating a Law; NOT accomplishing a Law (what Bush did with Iraq was to accomplish a standing US Law with US Congressional Appropriations). And before you even say something really uneducated about H.R.4655 not authorizing the Use of US Military Force; H.R.4655 was amended by the US Senate to Authorize the Use of US Military Force in accordance with US Law, 1973 War Powers Resolution (Act).
Hopefully 12/21 will destroy all those nutcakes and if we're lucky all the bible thumpers from here and allow us to evolve
That was NOT the Original Mission. The Mission to locate and capture Osama Bin Laden to gain his planning processes, thought processes as imprinted on his Al Quada, to enable us to preemptively stop all Al Quada Activities Worldwide was added AFTER President Bush (43) Amended the US No Assassination Policy in 2006. Failing the Capture of Osama Bin Laden then Termination was Pre Delegated Presidential Authorized as a Mission Failure and loss of a "High Valued Target". Since 2006 this Mission was Pre Authorized (Presidential) and Delegated to the Director of the CIA (further delegated to the CIA's SAD/SOG), Commander US Military Special Operations Command, Commander US Military Joint Special Operations Command.
Harvard International Review Article, 2006, "US No Assassination Policy On The Offensive".
The reason why the Termination of Osama Bin Laden could NOT be done before President Bush (43) Amended the US No Assassination Policy, is after the 1993 First World Trade Center Bombing President Clinton refused Extradition of Obama Bin Laden as offered by US Ally Saudi Arabian Government, and then refused to provide US Ally Saudi Arabian Government with the US Evidence of Osama Bin Laden's involvement with the 1993 First World Trade Center Bombing, so without sufficient evidence the US Ally Saudi Arabian Government released Osama Bin Laden. The US Military Asymmetric Warfare Teams shadowed Osama Bin Laden Worldwide, and continually requested President Clinton's Authorization to Terminate Osama Bin Laden so that they could go home; President Clinton refused and cited the US No Assassination Policy.
Most Islamic Nations refused to give Osama Bin Laden and Al Quada Islamic Sanctuary and even offer the US Extradition. The Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, after massacring all the suspected Collaborators to the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers; had locked down Afghanistan tighter than North Korea offer Osama Bin Laden and Al Quada Islamic Sanctuary.
Before you even say what Fundamentalist Islamic Newsvine Poster Jonathan-1982062 keeps posting against US Ally Saudi Arabia. Fundamentalist Islamic Osama Bin Laden originally established his Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada International Franchises to Fight the Great Satan (US), Overthrow the US Ally Saudi Arabian Government and other US Allies Established Governments. As Fundamentalist Islam is determined by Actions, not geographic locations of origin or nationalities.
Deb P. you want to know our Original Afghanistan Mission of October 2001:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxKhJIjIiY
What is not mentioned is that due to President Clinton's Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies the US was Blind and Deaf to the Events leading to the 9/11 2001 Attacks, and of most importance to us was that we knew nothing from local Afghan intelligence assets since President Clinton's Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies eliminated them. So what is not mentioned in the link (previously classified) was that we did not know how large the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Al Quada, and Islamic Jihadists Forces were or even exactly were they were located (including not knowing exactly were Osama Bin Laden was); so when we went into the Afghan Cities to fight the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government's Militias this turned into us fighting for our lives against an entire Army as Fully Supported by the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran, the majority of us did not survive the fierce Urban Warfare (the author of the book, link above was not allowed access to interview us). Then as posted at #1.70 we (survivors) are augmented by the US Army 10th Special Forces Group to conduct 2001 Operation Viking Hammer at Northern Iraq (Mission: eliminate the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists that escaped us at Afghanistan and fled along the Old Silk Road to Northern Iraq).
Yeah right, Karzai aka the Jerk.
More proof of being Uneducated (Strategic Asymmetric Warfare Goal of the Taliban, Al Quada, etc., "Undermining the Established Government of a US Ally"):
"Two thirds of the money is funneled through the govt...." Well put a rose in my butt and call me perfume. This is nothing but bribery pure and simple. Who is corrupt? Well, it is the govt., of course. None of the money is seen by the poor and displaced...It all goes into the hands of the rich...Kind of like America...Must be a culture thing. And his gratefulness is somewhere in the rocks around that hole of a country. Al Qeada doesn't really exist??? Sure, it doesn't. Must be someone else planting all of those IED's that are killing our brave men and women. What a bunch of cr@p!!!! You know, he doesn't have to live in splendor or anything else...He can be eliminated with a drone. Would be such a shame....and all. Not suggesting violence...Just thinking out loud for a moment...Maybe, urging a little caution regarding his expression of anti American views. Too many of our precious men and women in uniform have lost their lives or been wounded in this dirt bag country....Time to leave and not let the door hit us in the behind on the way out. There will be no thanks from anyone in the ME or Northern Africa for our efforts. It is a tribal culture of war and we will not change it, no matter how many billions we bribe the govt. with or how many of our troops die for their freedom. Can't make a purse out of a pig's ear.
Illiterate. From the Article:
Before all Funds were NOT accessible by the US Military nor the Afghans, and only accessible by the US Department of State, specifically managed by President Obama's Political Appointees Eikenberry and Holbrooke.
So how about asking President Obama's Political Appointee Eikenberry to account for the Billions USDs that he (mis)managed. You cannot ask President Obama's Political Appointee Holbrooke because after the Investigation started by General McChrystal and completed by General Petraeus as requested by President Karzai, after President Obama demanded Holbrooke's Letter of Resignation, Holbrooke strained his heart and died at Pakistan.
I stand corrected, David. Still, I don't see the money going to the poor and displaced. It is bribe money if not used for the betterment of the people. Private contractors need to hire their own protection rather than use our troops. Blaming us is not the answer. Put the blame where it belongs....On the extremists and the people of these countries allow to control them. We have tried to help this country and we have failed miserably. It is time to accept that and go home. The French couldn't do it. The Russians couldn't do it, and we failed to do it. They must do it from within and they don't appear to want to--so many more will die and I see no reason for it to be Americans.
BTW...Because a poster misreads a line in an article doesn't make them illiterate. It makes them human. I did read it wrong...My mistake, indeed. What made the name calling necessary in your view? Was my point wrong?
bigdaddysdawg....Thanks for Covering Up for the Fascists Plutocrats on Wall Streets and Running the Mega Military Industrial Corporations (note that dang Dawg don't provide no facts neither) but we've heard all of their Propaganda & Disinformation Nonsense before!
Please note folks once again nothing but Petty Insults & Belittlement whenever you post the Truth! No links or stated researchable Facts in rebuttal....Just Nonsense BS as if it means something!
I provide a link of of 1000's of pictures showing American Troops Protecting Opium (Heroin) Fields for the CIA and their Wall Street Pay Masters bigdaddysdawg spews nasty remarks about Propaganda!
Hahaha it is SOooo Blind it can't even believe its own Eyes.....Oh well obviously that silly "Dawg" ain't got the Common Sense of a Chiwawa!
"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind." ~ William Blake
It would appear that all we have done, is arm a future enemy again. Just like we did when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. We armed the rebels back then, to help them defeat the Soviet Union, and the rebels became the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Some day this country may learn, but I doubt it.
People are over-reacting to Karzai's words, and not taking note of his probable motivations. Within the next year, the bulk of the U.S. and allied forces currently serving as a bulwark of support for his regime will be gone. He then will be dealing alone with the Taliban, regional war lords, militant opium growers, as well as the general discontent of the average person living in a very poor country.
This will happen regardless of what he says or does not say regarding the United States.
He is clearly looking ahead, and seeking not to look like the puppet of the U.S. government, otherwise he may become the focus of all the anger and unrest in that country, particularly that which is currently aimed at the U.S. and NATO.
Guess what? It is in our interests that he succeed. Yes, he is corrupt, undependable, and in almost every regard not the ideal leader of his country. But... he is better than the probable alternative.
We've done what we can in Afghanistan. Our original mission was to root out Osama bin Laden and the rest of Al Qaeda, and to displace the Taliban, which had given them a safe refuge. That has been done. We cannot stay there indefinitely and we should not expect the inhabitants to be celebrating the 4th of July in our honor.
So Karzai is talking a little trash? So what?
muw - there is a difference between patrolling through opium fields, which are as ubiquitous as strip malls in some parts of Afghanistan, and actively guarding them. U.S. soldiers are bound to be in close proximity to poppy fields in the course of legitimate operations.
Our mission there is neither to protect, nor to suppress the growing of opium. It is to establish a stable [more or less] government which will not offer refuge to terrorist organizations.
So, thanks for the pictures, but it requires a little more information regarding their context before one can simply declare that the U.S. is protecting opium fields.
A little more honest thought, and a little less loud rhetoric would serve you better in making a point, assuming there is one to be made.
Everyone here pretty much agrees to the same thing. Since Karazi opened his mouth and has blamed the US for it's own ineptitude, lets just pull out ALL our troops and bring them home for good - with NO ONE left behind. The only problem with that, is when and if that happens, Karazi will then blame the US for it's own downfall because we're not paying them anymore! We can't win regardless, but really, who gives a crap for what the Afghanistan's think about us? They burn our flag and effigies of our President, yet they still want our help and will throw a fit when it's all gone.
Let's just let them be, all on their own and blame Karazi for the whole mess since he started it all anyway. Bring our men and women home for good and spend the money used for Afghanistan to take care of our troops instead, and also to help the VA with the backlogs of claims they can't seem to fix.
AQ has NO presence in your country, really? Gee I guess that Chechen and Tajik national we smoked in the last raid in Nangahar Province ;ast week were just tourists? Maybe look at the porous borders to your east Hamid....and please dont stop taking your meds.
Ya know? if we had gone into Afghanistan with alot more ambition and determination to kick booty and less kid stuff politics we would'nt be having these problems or discussions today.The mission would have been over when some Infantry grunt pryed a weapon out of the last Talibans dead fingers.(saying,It's all over now)Too bad our politicians were afraid their hands might get dirty and they would'nt get the pacifist vote next term.(or the Nobel peace prize)
Wolfhound, we don't have the stomach for that.
As to how this mess evolved we have to say...Thank you George, Thank you Dick.Thank you Rummy.
We really needed to ignore Afghanistan while you sent our power, people and influence to Iraq.
We couldn't have screwed this up so badly without your usual interest in Oil Above All.
Get our people out of this third world *&%$ pit NOW. Let these 9th century barbarians kill each other, who cares...... no more American blood and treasure.
Wolf and middle...You are both right on target. We don't. Maybe, it is time to go back to the concept that "to the victor go the spoils". It would be better just to leave, but if our politicians insist on sending more of our soldier to die in that pit and continue to send billions that the poor will never see, then fight the fight and fight to win. First, blow up their opium crops. Seriously trash them. Then take on the Taliban and Al Qeada with overwhelming force. Get in their face. Not going to happen...but one can hope...hard to see our troops continue to die for nothing...not even a bit of appreciation.
We did with significant losses (Redacted % Dead):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxKhJIjIiY
What is not mentioned is that due to President Clinton's Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies the US was Blind and Deaf to the Events leading to the 9/11 2001 Attacks, and of most importance to us was that we knew nothing from local Afghan intelligence assets since President Clinton's Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies eliminated them. So what is not mentioned in the link (previously classified) was that we did not know how large the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Al Quada, and Islamic Jihadists Forces were or even exactly were they were located (including not knowing exactly were Osama Bin Laden was); so when we went into the Afghan Cities to fight the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government's Militias this turned into us fighting for our lives against an entire Army as Fully Supported by the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran, the majority of us did not survive the fierce Urban Warfare (the author of the book, link above was not allowed access to interview us). Then as posted at #1.70 we (survivors) are augmented by the US Army 10th Special Forces Group to conduct 2001 Operation Viking Hammer at Northern Iraq (Mission: eliminate the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists that escaped us at Afghanistan and fled along the Old Silk Road to Northern Iraq).
The major screw up was that Afghanistan was a UN Mission, so NATO appointed Gentleman British General McColl as the Commander Asymmetric War Afghanistan, since he had NO experience with Asymmetric Warfare and only British Conventional Warfare he did not even attempt to stop the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists from returning to Afghanistan from Northern Iraq nor Pakistan. They typical Conventional Warfare mentality of Civilian Rules to make War "Civilized" with "Fair Fights".
We did, while chasing the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadistson the Old Silk Road we were killing them with extreme prejudice. Like I stated before most of you underestimate just how many there are, there were endless columns fleeing us into Northern Iraq.
If you figure out who, what, why, how, where, etc. of how the 1990s Taliban came into being, then you can figure out how many there really are. Hints: Prior to, during and after Operation Cyclone there were Pro US Afghans versus Pro USSR Afghans. USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran including during the Iran Iraq Wars (same time frame as Operation Cyclone), US Backed US Ally Iraq.
Technically, the Chechen (Foreign Fighters), Tajikistanis (Taliban) are not AQ (Al Quada), just like the Hamas Foreign Fighters, Kurdistanis Foreign Fighters, etc. are not AQ (Leadership) either; but are the Foot Soldiers as the Holy Warriors of Islam.
Marco Polo and the Silk Road is Afghanistan's high point, and now that there are other mechanisms to get Chinese silk, through the Persian Empire to the trading merchants of Europe... oh, wait, someone invented nylon. Doesn't matter, the Persians can reconfigure the camel trains and still impact the economic viability of Venice...oh wait, Global Warming is raising the water levels in Venice. The best thing is just blow up the two existing hydroelectric projects, so these people don't have to read the bad news on their communications technology, and someone can rediscover them in 400-500 years when Chinese made nylon is the latest thing in European demand. With Pakistan on one side and Iran on the other what more could Afghanistan need?
Good. Then you don't need us or our money, let us part ways.
"Karzai has gone from being a favorite of Washington under the presidency of George W. Bush, to a thorn in the White House's side with his criticism of American night raids and mounting civilian casualties at the hands of NATO troops."
We may like to part ways from Afghans and Pakis. They won't leave us!
Already the US, Britain and West have many Paki and Afghan traitors and Trojan horses planning terror attacks in the US and infidel nations.
They need our tax monies, arms and help when there floods, factional fights and other times.
Look at the jokes, dances and dramas of Turkey, Sunnis of Saudi, Qatari, and other Sunni Arab nations in ME on Assad!
When there were floods and earthquakes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, normally Pakis and Afghans ask: where is Amerika?
Rest of the times: down with Amerika!!!!
Turn out the lights....the madness should be over....
Bush & Co. hitched their corrupt wagon to this even MORE corrupt cartoon and paid him and his cronies BILLIONS of our tax dollars, all off budget, and thousands of lives. What a crime! I am disappointed in Obama for not recognizing this quagmire for what it is, declare victory and get the hell out when he first sat down in the oval office. Having said that we will never know all the intel about what is REALLY going on over there and why he decided to stay on. Still it's high time to get out when both the locals and "leader" don't want you there.
Really...? What did you expect? After campaigning for over a year that America was fighting the wrong war in Iraq and that the true enemy was in Afghanistan, which was where all our efforts should be...you're disappointed? Did that prevent you from voting for him? After all, it was the "legitimate" war and he doubled down on that perspective with the surge. So if Bush and Cheney hitched their wagon to a corrupt cartoon......what did Obama do, even after knowing how corrupt Karzai was? And yet still.....after being duped, I'm sure he get's your support.
If you read further you would see that I also said that we really didn't know all the other factors that went into Obama's decision to stay. We often don't know all the military/political issues, just what's released to the press. Still, it didn't smell right and he should have done more than just give a deadline to pull out. I think he gave too much credence to his generals in this matter. Yes, I did vote for him because despite this error, he was the better man.
Bib Laden is dead & al-Qaida is no more? This just one of Obama's campaign lies.. You'll see much more of the lies in 2013!!!!
And if Bush did not go into Afghanistan, what would you say about him then. What would the dems say
Lets not forget he had all of the Congress and Senate behind him.
Corrupt Wagon my rear end. Your an idiot, were you asleep during 911
We needed to defend ourselves and we did. War sucks but would you rather this country be taken over by a bunch of radicals
lee-936758, did you forget who started that war? it was Your president George W. Bush, you are the one that is lying, for sure you are a right wing ignorant moron, republican that wants to blame the Afghan war to president Obama when the one that started that war was your republican, dumb, corrupted president George W.Bush, nice try you moron.
Let us be clear: 9/11 had Saudi and Pakis hands and UAE funding to some extent.
Bush and his team could find Iraq and Afghanistan instead of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Bush, Jr goofed up big time in Afghanistan. His friend, Gen Mush of Pakistan was the biggest ungrateful backstabber.
Did Bush, jr and their team know what they were doing?
Who with normal sense will enter into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, two toughest battle zones in earth, at the same time?
In Afghanistan, Pakis have backstabbed the US and NATO forces big time. Half of NATO forces deaths are due to ungrateful and backstabbing Pakis.
When the NATO forces were entering Kandahar in 2001, Pakis airlifted key al-Qaida, Taliban, ISI and others militants by back door from Kandahar.
This includes Mullah Omar, Osama and many including Paki Haqqani militant network leaders.
Hope people remember about Pakis sheltering Osama.
These Paki Islamic religious Nazis don't bother about their people and they are into reckless killing games in the name of jihad.
Drone attacks are not enough. To reduce NATO forces losses, carpet bomb Paki militant areas just like 1991 Iraqi war.
Or else just get out right now
Regardless of who was in office when the war started the fact is that ALOT of people out there wanted payback.What if Bush had done nothing?There would have been a nationwide outrage if Bush had done nothing.Both Democrats and Republicans voted for the war because none of them wanted to face the wrath of millions of Americans who wanted payback.I know i wanted payback and i would hope that some of you out there did too.Too many people have short memories or selective memory at best.
We may not have ever needed to go to Afghanistan if Clinton had taken Bin Laden when he was offered to him.
Very cogent point there Wolfhound.....We had politicians leaping over each other to be the first to advocate for a military response, with public opinion favoring such action hovering around 90%. The Bush administration had very few options. How quickly we all forget.
People were behind going after Bin Laden, but when Bush/Cheney pulled forces out of Afghanistan and went into Iraq on false pretenses ("mushroom cloud" and "deficits don't matter") they lost a lot of credibility.
Obama doesn't recognize a lot of things. He still hasn't figured out what happened in Benghazi.
Even after we leave Afghanistan, Afghans and Pakis won't leave us live in peace.
Afghanistan has flourishing drug production; drugs will move to the world export center, Pakistan; and then there are many Pakis right in our nations, who will smuggle in drugs and distribute them.
A 25 year old British lady of Paki origin was caught in Pakistan while trying to smuggle out huge quantiy of drugs to Britain.
Of course, this is rare as she must not have given Pakis a cut in her smuggling!!!
We have Mexico No. 2 in Pak-Afghan region.
Worn Out,
Are you referring to the North Dakota boys?
time to let 'Lambskin Head' bring security to his land
yep. both afganland an pakisland (no defamation intended, since neither is a cohesive national state) are basketcases. glad we finally started reviewing how much aid we give to Pakistan. Their request for our latest Drone tech? what a joke!!! After they gave the Chinese Mil unfettered access and parts of the stealth chopper that crashed during the Bin Laden raid? Either they think we are stupid (based on the decades of billions in US aid) Or they are all smoking Opium.
Hmm. things that make you go hmmmmm
British invented Pakistan. The US and allies kept Pakistan on the map.
Pakis stole nuclear technology from the west; made nukes and sold them to Libya, Iran and others.
The moment, we forget about Pakistan, there will be bloody civil wars in Pakistan. Nukes may fall into any Islamist groups hand(s)!
Of course, by that time most people responsible for ruining Pakistan and Afghanistan would have been in the US, Britain and other places just like Gen Mush!
They want Sharia Laws in our nations and mosques in every street too!
Deport the b&st*rds. If they dont want us in their country then they can leave ours too. Why should they be allowed to live off the governments of the UK and enjoy the comfort of the USA if we are such undesirable arssholes? If they dont like us then they dont like our country and they can leave. They are not gonna turn our country into theirs. If they dont want to live like us in our country then they shouldnt be here in the first place. You dont go to another country just to setup a mini version of your own country within ours. ..you assimilate or stay home.
You can blame Bush, or Clinton, or Obama all you want, but your blame is misplaced. The people to blame are those that allow these extremist to exist and control their country. We are not to blame. They are. They, apparently have no problem with it. After all, didn't Karzia say that Al Qeada didn't really exist...? Well, if that is indeed true, then there is no need for our soldiers to die there and certainly no need for us to send them billions of dollars that could be spent repairing the damage from Sandy and Katrina. The Army Corp of Engineers are very good at what they do and are needed at home. Close the door and lock it on these ME and Northern African nations. Tighten our immigration policies and protect our borders. At least, our brave men and women will know what they are dying for.
Screw Karzai and his corrupt political cronies -- US out of Afghanistan, NOW!
Bill...Simple and to the point. Good post. Too bad our politicians are making so much money off this non war, war that it will not happen. Sad, actually. Big Corp. at its finest. Kill the soldiers, but leave the contractors alone.
Really, Karzai??? I'm sure your minorities would have something to say about that including women.
http://www.hazarapeople.com/
Maybe Karzai approves of al-qaida???
Karzai seemed to be talking out of of every corner of his mouth.First he blames NATO/The US.Then he admits the insurgents are getting stronger.He then tries to appease AL-Qaeda by denying their presence in Afghanistan;An attempt at self preservation no doubt.The Taliban wouldn't be getting stronger if we had killed them.I'm all for getting out of that hellhole but could we please bomb the Sh!t out of the Taliban first?If we don't we'll just have to have our grandchildren do it for us at a later date & that would be shameful.Yes, we got Bin Laden but this war isn't over yet & it would be foolish & borderline cowardly to pretend it is.
If I remember correctly, it was the top US intelligence officials that have been saying there have been less than 100 AQ members in Afghanistan for the last few years. The US puppet Karzai, doesn't seem to be saying anything new. As for the US helping the Afghans, I don't see where our policy is accomplishing anything positive for the Afghans. The exception would be many troops on their own time, helping villagers rebuild damaged buildings, gaining water access, and and a sense of caring for these civilians, that have no say in this occupation, but routinely pay the highest price for living in their own country.
There is no rational reason for fighting Afghanistan at this time some 12 years after 9/11. Yet, there is billions to be made by the US in controlling the poppy fields, that opium is made from, and the trillions of dollars worth of precious materials in the Afghan earth and rock formations. Les we forget the billions in contracts with US corporations to rebuild what has been destroyed; a common, despicable relationship between US corporations and US military known as the military industrial complex.
Don't think for a minute US corporations don't have a say in this war, they have in nearly every war waged by the US.
Sure, Karzai is corrupt, but the US is no less so, if one looks at the big picture! Remember, what we hear from the US media is in large measure controlled and influenced by US corporations. Please keep this in mind, and find for yourselves the information and facts from the original source, and be skeptical of any reporting, before accepting as truth!
Paul Hester
terp...I'm not entirely sure that it is his mouth that he is talking out of and I think I smell smoke.
This is fantastic news...We are longer needed or wanted there, the Afghani's have it all under control...Yahoo, let's bring'em home...
Agreed. I just got back from a tour over there a month ago and it was an eye opener. It was an absolute pleasure to have been able to contribute to the safety of our boys over there, but I questioned the overall mission. My personal belief is that 2014 is a good year to exit.
Yup or else we'll be there forever.
Our blood and money and his whining. Cut him loose and bring our troops home and keep the money for ourselves. I would be willing to bet if we did that he would make a deal with AQ inside of a day to stay in power and keep his stolen millions.
What makes you think he doesnt already have a deal with them? This man is a common pimp...he will sell whatever to whoever for a buck. He only cares about himself..he doesnt care about his country in the least.
Right. Our money is 40% of the GNP and the other 60% is opium. Unless, I misread the numbers...I am sure that Dave will correct me should that be the case. Welfare and drugs...That is what they are living on.
The fact he has been designated as the best person to run that country speaks volumes about the majority of the people there.
Right, and it's exactly why we need to walk away and let the place fend for itself, keeping an eye on it, so that if there is ever any threat to us, we can send some strategic forces in and deal with it, quickly and efficiently.
The worm has turned. Biting the hand that feeds you. A number of phrases come to mind after reading this piece. To be blunt, what an ungrateful b*s*a*d Karzia is. I remember him visiting here and the UK. Swanning around in his robes as if he was the second coming. My, how things change.
We have no business in that hell hole. Our men and women AND machinery need to be brought home now. When you can't even trust the people you are training things have reached rock bottom.
Bringing our people home will save millions of dollars and more importantly American lives. Karzia is corrupt and has lost control of his country, so he will blame us, NATO anyone rather than accept responsibility for his ineptness.
Let the Afghans get on with it. Blow themselves up if they want. After all what do we owe them? Nothing. Nothing at all. Our priorities are here, making sure WE are OK. Not some God forsaken place where everyone hates us and wants to kill us!!
So we get out and the Taliban come back along with Al-Qaida and the sh t starts all over again and then what?
answer: More money for the Military/Industrial/Congressional Complex.
don't worry stan.i am sure our granchildren will be back in the middle east and they will wonder...Why did'nt they finish the job back then?
Then we do it all over again.Better to finish 'em off right now.
If that happen it is going to be that country problem, we don't have to spend more billions o tax payes money in the war that the republicans and the dumb George W. bush started, and the most o=important thing, no of our soldiers are going to die for the war that George W. Bush and the republican administration started.
That war was started because our country was attacked on September 11 2001, Maybe you forgot that, The person/persons responsible for planning that attack were based in Afghanistan, Maybe you forgot that too, The people of America wanted justice and that is why we went to war in Afghanistan, Almost every member of Congress voted to go to war in afghanistan, yes I know you do not want to believe it but even the Democrats voted to go to war in Afghanistan.
JP is right on!
answer: More money for the Military/Industrial/Congressional Complex.
It's all about making money..that war cry "the people want democracy", is just cover for making money. Karzai bought a $100,000,000.00 home in Qatar at American taxpayers expense and with the blessings of the American politicians. Karzai knows how to pull the strings and push the buttons of the American politicians to get many more billions of free money. Just last week Leon Panetta said, on the news, "the American troops will always be in Afghanistan."
House Bill 64 was sponsored by Richard Armey Republican Texas and Senate Bill 23 was sponsored by Tom Daschle Democrat South Dakota
The decision to go to war in Afghanistan was a bipartisn effort, Although it seems that Democrats try to blame this war solely on GW Bush.
Yes Taliban will be back!
When Shiites attack them like in Syria, all the brave will go into hiding or their harems!
Amerika, help, Amerika, help ... where are you?
In case of ungrateful and backstabbing Pakis, always help, help, help ... or else India or Russia will attack and wipe us out of the map!
There are many in the US, Britain, France, Germany and others, who start their screams, inventions, dances and dramas along with them!
We lost more people here in NYC, then troops fighting over there. The sad thing would be that if we just left, what would those 2 thousand troop that died, died for? Nothing would be the answer. We make gains, then we throw them away. (much like Korea, Vietnam, Egypt, Central America, etc) we are winning and then we leave, the bad guys then take over. My rule is go in to win, or don't bother. That is why we have so much trouble. Countries see us as the guys that will help, but when things get ruff, they bugout. The Taliban and Alcadia sees us and a termperary foe, that they simply need to go into hiding until after we leave.
Obama said this is the war we should be fighting not Iraq. But like Vietnam we take defeat from the jaws of victory, and teach others we can't be trusted.
This tribal fighting has been going on for centuries and will continue until they either figure it out on their own or they blow each other up. its as simple as that! No one else can solve their own "tribal hatred" problem for them.
I agree, 300 and Elaine. Only a dirty fighter goes into the ring to sort of win. They are either going to fail or they are going to win. If we don't have the ambition to put them up agianst the ropes, then we need to stay out of the fight.
Answer is reservations. Divide and conquer using their own people as administrators. Chiefs..Warlords.. Whatever. Not many great cities there, it is doable.
Dear Mr. Karzai,
Go F**k Yourself,
Sincerely,
USA
ok. Time for this little maggot to fend for himself. Screw your timeline, Mr Obama. The time to leave is now.
Karzai won't last 15 minutes after we're gone.
He's just too stupid to admit that.
What makes you think he's sticking around. Gotta all the US $ he needs (Dick, donny and bushy boy) gonna see the world.
One well placed grenade when we are on the way out would take care of that!
"Money can't buy you love"... The Beatles.
But it can buy freedom.
Shouldn't have gone in there in the first place.
The Taliban offered to Take Bin Laden Into Custody and put him on trial in their country or a third-party country. But nooooooo we would have had to show the evidence.
Evidence which would include complicity by Pakistan for 9/11. The head of Pakistan's intelligence service - ISI (like our CIA) was wiring money to Mohamed Atta and the cell in Germany. If our pal in the ISI was complicit (and he was in Washington on 9/11 meeting with his counterparts) then a BIG finger would point towards our CIA...
So instead of immediate custody for Bin Laden we chose a decade(+) of senseless(-) warfare.
Get the heck out of there...oh, and show the evidence.
As a parent of a soldier imbedded with the afghan army I say GET MY KID OUT OF THERE. Mission was accomplished over a year ago.
I don't think 'vested interests' will want western troops to leave Afghanistan because there is much mineral wealth to be exploited. Those in the know know very well that Afghanistan can be raped for its natural resources. To them it does not matter that precious lives are lost in their greed to accumulate more wealth.
May be Bush went in sincerely to punish the Taliban for facilitating Al Qaeda to attack USA. Now that Osama Ben Laden is dead the troops should come home. If Taliban returns and there is evidence or acts of terror emanating from Afghanistan, just bomb them to mittens! No point in blaming any one on the reason the original deployments of troops. Now is the time to bring them home. Only India will would like US troops to do the dirty job there as renewed Taliban power will be a threat to India.
Much mineral wealth and natural resources in Afghanistan? Thats pure propaganda. They have no more minerals than any other normal country.
One of the largest copper deposits in the world is in Afghanistan & the mining rights were given to China. Their mining companies have been there almost 3 years now preparing to start mining. The reason it's taken so long to get started is they started finding ancient artifacts in the digging, but now Karzai said, to heck with the artifacts, lets get that copper. China also got some of the best oil fields in Iraq.
They have a lot of the minerals we all need to keep our electronics going. We're not going anywhere.
Can't have China getting it all.
Karzai is an a$$ and everyone knows it.
Taliban, is a threat to every country. They have bombed India before, and contine. It is in every free countries intrest to squash this pest. If China starts mining then the taliban will attack them, until they gain control, then they will want the Chinese money.
I just want to know why the %uck are we still there giving this greedy son of a *itch our money and protecting his $hit hole country??? This @sshole should be hung! He's NO ally.. I say the hell with the ass backwards, middle east and let them all annihilate each other. More oxygen for us..
This guy needs to be eliminated.
Another Hillary Clinton success............ Karzai should suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein, or Gaddafi..... And he has stolen Hundreds of Millions of American Dollars... When does it end?
Oh yea lets blame this one on Obama too. More dregs from the worst presidential administration in the history of our country but the far righties in their tightie whities are still reading their same old bed time fairy tales!
Legos, he is commander in chief. They blamed Bush for Iraq. Obama's military leaders tell him what is needed and he doen't take thier advise and does what he thinks is best. So yes, when you call the shots, you take the credit or the blame. The same goes for Egypt, Libya, Iran, North Korea, etc. It seems he is managing the world about as good as he is doing our county. But the people elected him again. so we will see, what happens next.
I give Karzai 5 months after the United States and NATO pull out before the Taliban string him up; even though Karzai is a closet Taliban supporter. Let's make sure that when we do leave we also pull out our funding.
ha ha what a riot.12 years and a trillion dollars wasted and the country that is one of the most corrupt in the world and grows and supplies the worlds heroin is blaming us for their insecurity. Feel dumb much people?
Karzai has paid Lobbyists who have paid some of our Politicians........ It is all a shell game, some of our Politicians want this to go on forever...
Brought to by our good friends in the GOP and the lame Dems who didn't have the guts to stand up and say "Wait a minute, let's think this one through".
Obama is the one that said we should be there and not in Iraq. He is the one that said we needed to be there. We have troops in Korea (for 60 years) we have troops in Europe, and Japan (for 70 years).
The Karzai government is doing nothing that our government doen't do. They pit the teliban against the US to get what they want. We pit the democrats against the republicans to get what we want. They pit the city dewlers against the farmers, we pit the rich against the poor.
We need to mantain our vidulance against the Teliban and Alcada. The world is changing, and not for the better. As the old addage goes, "When the good do nothing, evel will revail". The real test will be thier next election. They never had democratic, or a repubican type of goverment. We did and it still took us over 10 years to get it right.
What the dickens, he voted twice for obama by absentee ballot.
Yo! Karzai, come to America, you might be able to drive a taxi. WE'll give your wife a wax job so you can tell her apart from your camel.
Comparing his wife to a camel is degrading to camels.
now that sh*t is funny!!!
now that sh*t is funny!!!
Survey says "99% of men who tried Camels, went back to women, excluding Afghanistan".
LOL...no LMAO..no...ROTFLMAO....Bwahahahahaa!! Good one Niki....
LOVE these comments.When you look at karzai he resembles a camel so maybe his old man was a camel.Keep up the great comments folks.
Id rather wax a camel than his wife.