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Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai Votes in Municipal Elections on Sunday; Afghan Men Waiting to Vote, and Looking Quite Pleased.

— REUTERS VIDEO NEWS: Afghan Elections Go Smoothly; Karzai Asks U.S. to Reduce its Military Operations, Sept. 20, 00:01:12
— BBC VIDEO NEWS: A Look at Afghanistan Today from the BBC, Sept. 13, 00:11:31
— C-SPAN VIDEO: Pentagon Briefing On Afghanistan Elections With Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Sept. 20, 00:40:02

Washington Unlikely to Heed Karzai's Requests

The Afghan President's recent call for United States forces to scale back air strikes and house-to-house searches in his country are absolutely justified. Unfortunately for Mr. Karzai, America's strategic interests do not seem to coincide with his own. Typically, Pakistan's The Nation newspaper portrays Karzai as naive, and this editorial is no exception. It also expresses exasperation that Karzai keeps blaming Pakistan for his trouble with terrorists.

EDITORIAL

September 22, 2005

Original Article (English)    

A Voter Waits Her Turn in Kabul.

PRESIDENT Hamid Karzai is fully justified in demanding that US-led troops in Afghanistan scale back their operations, including air strikes and the searches of homes, and allow the Afghan military a larger security role. It is worth recalling that one of the tasks NATO forces are supposed to be performing is the training of local recruits, so that they can take ever-increasing responsibility for the nation's defense and security, thus relieving NATO.

Afghan Women in Kabul Wait to Vote in Parliamentary Elections on Saturday.

Now, nearly four years down the line, a sizeable contingent of well-trained Afghans ought to have been ready for this purpose. And Mr. Karzai, who spoke to reporters in Kabul on Tuesday, should know best whether local forces are now sufficient to handle the task.

The searches of homes is a very sensitive issue, the more so in conservative Afghan society, where women avoid even coming into contact with strangers. For foreign, Western soldiers, this may be difficult to grasp. Local troops more conversant with the sensitive nature of their customs would be better able to handle this without invoking adverse reaction.

Besides, U.S. pilots have on occasion been quite reckless in striking so-called Taliban targets, once killing the 48 wedding guests of a government supporter. As Mr. Karzai says, "Afghanistan now has a Constitution, a president, a parliament and a nation fully participating in its destiny."

Somehow, he seems to believe that his earlier public complaint has had an effect on U.S. authorities, although there has been no apparent letup in their military operations. Now he is asking for a further scaling back. 

Although Mr. Karzai has not specifically accused Pakistan of harboring and sending anti-Afghan elements over the border to challenge law and order there, his words leave little doubt about whom he is referring. His statement, "We do not think there is a serious terrorism challenge emanating from Afghanistan" read with his remark, "we believe we should now concentrate on where terrorists have trained, on their bases, on supplies to them, on the money coming to them," makes it clear where he is pointing his finger.

Pakistani Soldiers on Their Way Back from the Afghan-Border Area Last Week.

Apparently, Islamabad's move to station 80,000 troops on the Durand Line [along the Afghan border], repeatedly conduct military operations and take other preventive measures cut no ice with Kabul. He is also opposed to fencing the border. His reference implicates Pakistan as the source of his troubles: training, bases, infiltration and wherewithal.

Islamabad should try to bring home to Afghan leaders its sincere efforts to control terrorism and underline that baseless allegations tend to spoil the friendly atmosphere. Trying to find a scapegoat for the Kabul government's own failings by harping on the themes of training and infiltration, which have lost their relevance in the present context, could do needless harm. If there was any evidence supporting the charges, they should go through diplomatic channels. 

As for his call for the U.S. to exercise restraint, he would better serve his nation's interests to refer to remarks by Washington officials who visualize having U.S. troops in Afghanistan for decades. This underscores where Washington's real loyalty lies: its concern over U.S. strategic plans in Central Asia rather than any preferences or interests Kabul may have.