I don't believe US killed Afghan people by mistake

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Former president Hamid Karzai pointed to the disgraceful US withdrawal from Afghanistan and said Washington killed many Afghans for no reason.

News ID: 84374

Date: 10 August 2022 - 01:47

The former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai made the comments in an interview with US National Public Radio (NPR) this week, according to the Ariana News website.

He said at the time of the collapse of the former government and the takeover by the Taliban, he had feared for his safety, not because of the Taliban but because of external forces.

“The Taliban are Afghans. They belong to this country. We know them, they know us. I felt external forces, and feared that more,” Karzai said, mentioning foreign countries and elements within Pakistan, in particular, NPR reported.

“But in terms of Afghanistan having a government that all Afghan people find themselves [in], we still have a way to go. In terms of the economy of the country, it’s a disaster. In terms of Afghans leaving their own country, it’s a huge disaster and a shame upon us. And this is something that the Taliban have to address.”

Karzai told NPR the Taliban acknowledges that there are problems and that the US made “immense mistakes” in Afghanistan.

NPR reported that he is still angry about civilian casualties during the war, saying the US bombed the wrong people so often that he refuses to believe it was a mistake.

Karzai also spoke out about the chaotic withdrawal of US troops and said it had been “very dishonorable.” Families were separated amidst the chaos, and some Afghans desperate to evacuate clung to a military plane as it took off. At least two people fell to their deaths, which Karzai called a “disgrace to both of us.”

He told NPR there were things the US could do to help the Afghan people now, including unfreezing the country’s financial reserves.

“I need for the United States government to correct its mistakes in Afghanistan, to help the Afghan people stand back on their feet,” he said.

Karzai also told NPR he had met Taliban leaders, all of whom had expressed a desire for better relations with the US.

But he said there were things the Taliban must do first to gain trust and make progress within their own country.

“We must make sure that all the Afghan people see themselves belonging to this country and represented by the government, and that we take all the necessary steps to prove to the rest of the world that we mean well for Afghanistan,” he said.

He also said girls’ education was an issue and said he was worried the ban sets the whole country back. He warned that “a decade from now we’ll be worse than what we are now.”

NPR reported that Karzai feels there are many reasons why the Taliban should take steps to prove to the world that they are trying to better the country.

“That will also make it easier for someone like me to go into the international community and say, ‘Well, we’re now on the right path towards a better future and deserve support,'” he said.

But Karzai can’t go out into the international community, even if he wanted to. He said he had asked the Taliban for permission to travel abroad for several functions and events but had always been denied, NPR reported.