Karzai Hails U.S. Pullout but Taliban to Fight on
Afghanistan's Taliban Thursday dismissed news of U.S. troop withdrawals as mere symbolism, vowing to fight on, but President Hamid Karzai said the move hastened his nation's ability to fend for itself.
Ordinary Afghans seemed split over U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement, after a decade of war, to pull tens of thousands of troops out of Afghanistan and concentrate on "nation-building" in America instead.
Some Afghans hoped it would reduce violence in a country battered by years of fighting, while others thought the move could plunge their nation into more chaos as foreign combat forces target a full withdrawal in 2014.
Karzai described Obama's decision as "a good step in their favor and in favor of Afghanistan".
He congratulated his country "on this step towards defending its own soil, through its own people".
But the Taliban, whose insurgency has worsened steadily since the Islamist movement was ousted from power in late 2001, said the move was only "symbolic".
In an emailed statement, they stressed that "the solution for the Afghan crisis lies in the full withdrawal of all foreign troops immediately" -- and that "our armed struggle will increase" until that happens.
The statement made no reference to any contacts with the Americans.
Karzai announced last week that talks were underway, and Obama said in making his draw down announcement that "we have reason to believe that progress can be made" through discussions on a political settlement.
Obama announced Wednesday that 10,000 U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan this year and all 33,000 forces sent as part of a surge ordered in late 2009 would be home by next summer.
In Kabul, defense ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi hailed the decision and dismissed fears over the capability of Afghan security forces.
"The security forces, in particular the Afghan National Army, are prepared to fill this gap," he said.
"It should be said clearly that there is no need for any concern regarding ensuring security and the continuation of planned operations as these soldiers withdraw from Afghanistan."
Although it is not yet clear exactly which places U.S. troops will leave from, seven areas of Afghanistan are due to switch from foreign to Afghan security control from next month in the first wave of transition.
One is Lashkar Gah, provincial capital of the unstable southern province of Helmand. Although close to several highly dangerous districts, the town itself is deemed safe enough to switch to Afghan security control.
Here, residents were deeply ambivalent about the move.
"We don't need Americans here in Afghanistan -- they're the cause of most of the problems," said Bari, a government employee who lives in Lashkar Gah.
But he was also unenthusiastic about the ability of the Afghan government and security forces to plug the hole.
"The government cannot manage their own internal issues. They are weak, they will not be able to fill in for the withdrawing international troops," he added.
Another Lashkar Gah resident, Faisal, raised fears over what would happen to Afghanistan's fragile economy when troops leave.
Some 97 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product is derived from spending linked to the international military and donors, according to a figure quoted this month in a U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations report.
"I am not happy with this," Faisal said. "When the soldiers withdraw from Afghanistan, there will be a very serious economic problem for the Afghan economy," he said.
Kabul-based analyst Haroun Mir said that many ordinary Afghans felt a sense of apprehension about what would happen in future.
"(For) the bulk of Afghans, there is still an increasing anxiety about the future of this country," he said.
"A lot of people are worried that the United States and the rest of NATO allies will abandon us and we could fall again into chaos."
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/8944 |