Karzai Says He Might Be Compelled To Join The Taliban

[Me.]

Well if it wasn't clear to some people before, this really makes the case for us getting out now.

“KABUL - President Hamid Karzai's scathing attack on the West for its role in Afghanistan drew criticism from Afghan politicians after the White House described his remarks as genuinely troubling.

Despite Karzai's attempt at damage control, including a telephone conversation Saturday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, his allegations laid bare the growing mistrust between the Afghan government and its international partners as the United States and NATO ramp up troop levels to try to turn back the Taliban.

Moreover, on the same day of Karzai's call to Clinton, he also held a private meeting with dozens of Afghan lawmakers where he "lashed out at his Western backers for the second time in three days, accusing the U.S. of interfering in Afghan affairs and saying the Taliban insurgency would become a legitimate resistance movement if the meddling doesn't stop," the Wall Street Journal reported.

Mr. Karzai, whose government is propped up by billions of dollars in Western aid and nearly 100,000 American troops fighting a deadly war against the Taliban, made the comments during a private meeting with about 60 or 70 Afghan lawmakers Saturday.

At one point, Mr. Karzai suggested that he himself would be compelled to join the other side -- that is, the Taliban -- if the parliament did not back his controversial attempt to take control of the country's electoral watchdog from the United Nations, according to three of those who attended the meeting, including a close ally of the president.” …cont…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/04/karzai-slams-the-west-aga_n_524669.html

[Andy823]

1. Well...

I say pull the money, pull the troops and let Karzai go it on his own, he won't last long, and that would probably be the best thing for Afghanistan anyway. This man has bee corrupt from day one, in Bush's back pocket and probably still working for Cheney and the war mongers on the right! When the leader of the country makes the kind of remarks he has been making it's time to get the hell out and cut our loses, and stop giving him money!

[Me.]

3. Totally

That a$$ is biting the hand that feeds him. It costs us 1 mil per soldier per year. I can think of plenty of other things we could do with that money here at home.

[newspeak]

35. I thought Karzai was an oil man

I thought he was one of *'s puppets.

[Webster Green]

2. Great! Can we now officially declare it a hopeless cluster fuck and get out?

Or should we stay and play "Whack-A-Mole" for a few decades?

[daleo]

4. In the set of empty threats

That's about as empty as they come.

[rpannier]

7. No kidding

Like he's gonna give up all the trappings he has now: Driver, Cook, Lots of Money, etc and go live in the mountains and forage with the Taliban

Never gonna happen

[Me.]

13. The Fact That He Thinks He's In A Position To Make Threats

Empty or not is an issue in and of itself.

[DJ13]

5. Sounds like he's no longer on our payroll

[EFerrari]

6. Well, it's good to read that democracy is working so well

in Germany. :(

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Mr. Karzai will learn about having ahem accidents

We've seen this movie before...

[rpannier]

9. I double dog dare you Karzai

I triple dog dare you

[Rex]

10. Well he was hand picked by The Bush Administration and they

love dealing with dictator and corrupt politicians so why am I not surprised!?

Thanks George Bush.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Lovely.

Looks like the mayor of Kabul is starting to go insane. And right on schedule.

I don't think they could have picked a more perfect person to fuck up a country.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. You are in canada, you know what this movie looks like

we've been here before... (Nam)

But as my hubby pointed out, they will tie him to his bros drug bidness and arrest him on that account. Mostly NOT to repeat the Nam double feature.

God I am cynical today.

[Canuckistanian]

14. The only problem is WE'RE there, too

Along with the rest of our NATO allies. But thankfully, we're OUTTA THERE by next year.

Hillary can try to bribe or shame us, but we know a bad thing when we're in it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Canada was also in Nam

as well as Australia, but in very small forces.

[Canuckistanian]

18. As volunteers in the US forces, yes

But the Canadian govt. never sent anyone there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. You are right on the canadian front

but wrong on the Australian front

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_the_Vietnam_War

:-)

But that is neither here or there, reality is that this movie will mot end well. But then again, this been tried since oh Alexander... and nobody has been able to deal with Afghanistan as a client state.

[proteus_lives]

23. My dad knew Aussie soldiers in Vietnam.

He said they were good troops, very professional and well-trained.

He said the scariest soldiers in Vietnam were the South Koreans. They were vicious and they absolutely hated communism.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. They had a good reason for that

they were removed less than a generation from the Korean War.

So a few of them might have seen or been subjected to the loving attentions of North Korean troops.

[proteus_lives]

25. A officer warned him and other soldiers not to debate the war with SK troops.

unless "you want to get your ass kicked by someone half your size".

I have no doubt that memories of North Korea played an important in the ferocity of SK units.

[howard112211]

29. Somehow, I suspect that a certain amount of xenophobia went into that statement.

I know lots of Asian people. Mostly, they are like us.

[proteus_lives]

34. No doubt but xenophobia?

No. This was gruff-soldier talk. These men were fighting side-by-side, for different reasons mostly but still. They respected each other.

[upi402]

16. The oil man would probably not live 2 weeks with them as partners

Seems like they'd have little use for Karzai and would drum something up pretty quickly. Taliban are religious zealots, insane and irrational.

Wow! The Taliban blew up ancient relics (buddha statues) just to send a message. And actually DID harbor Al Queda. And our soldiers are in harms way for the Karzai government?

[G_j]

17. just gets worse by the day nt

[jtuck004]

20. Next thing you know he's gonna invite the president of Iran to....Say what??!! n.t

[tango-tee]

21. This has been a SNAFU from day one,

with Karzai being Bush's puppet, heading a corrupt government that barely reaches to the Kabul city limits.

It's time to get out.

[flyarm]

22. U.S. Admits Role in February Killing of Afghan Women - NYTimes.com

U.S. Admits Role in February Killing of Afghan Women - NYTimes.com

U.S. Troops Killed Afghan Women, Then Dug Bullets Out Of Their Bodies To Cover It Up
Derrick Crowe: The Grotesque Details Of This Special Ops Cover-Up
U.S.-Afghan Relations Strained... Karzai Slams The West AGAIN, Suggests He Could Be Compelled To Join The Taliban... Reporter Speaks Out On Colleagues' Self-Censorship

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ref=world

April 4, 2010
U.S. Admits Role in February Killing of Afghan Women
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
KABUL, Afghanistan — After initially denying involvement or any cover-up in the deaths of three Afghan women during a badly bungled American Special Operations assault in February, the American-led military command in Kabul admitted late on Sunday that its forces had, in fact, killed the women during the nighttime raid.

The admission immediately raised questions about what really happened during the Feb. 12 operation — and what falsehoods followed — including a new report that Special Operations forces dug bullets out of the bodies of the women to hide the true nature of their deaths.

A NATO official also said Sunday in an interview that an Afghan-led team of investigators had found signs of evidence tampering at the scene, including the removal of bullets from walls near where the women were killed.

The disclosure could not come at a worse moment for the American military: NATO officials are struggling to contain fallout from a series of tirades against the foreign military presence by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who has also railed against the killing of civilians by Western forces.

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has tried hard, and with some success, to reduce civilian casualties through new rules that include restricting night raids and also bringing Special Operations forces under tighter control. But botched Special Operations attacks — which are blamed for a large proportion of the civilian deaths caused by NATO forces — continue to infuriate Afghans and create support for the Taliban.

[Turborama]

26. The Taliban would hang him in an instant, if they could get their hands on him

Who's in charge of his security detail these days, btw?

[Bluebear]

27. Karzai is only singing one song!!!1

[geckosfeet]

28. I can see them welcoming him with,, open arms.

[howard112211]

30. I think its not unlikely that at some point fractions of the Afghan military will turn on the USA.

[Me.]

31. Of They Haven't Already

[MilesColtrane]

32. Our Man in Armani is going off the reservation?

Naaah.

He just needs to talk tough in public to try and keep from getting his ass blown up.

I'm sure when he's on that private line to Washington it's all, "Yes sir. No sir. Very good sir."

[spanone]

33. he misses his republican friends...

[bridgit]

36. That's not much of a fall back position when the Taliban is knocking at your door

[amborin]

37. K&R how can we keep papering over this insane situation?

[Rex]

38. As long as the main stream media works at forgetting Iraq and Afghanistan

this insane situation will continue. You know, until something so huge happens they will have to report it and blame it all on Obama. :eyes:

Until then, troops will keep dying and families will keep losing their kids to bombs and gun rounds. :(