Thread: KARZAI: Afghanistan to back Pakistan if war with USA

Afghanistan to back Pakistan if wars with U.S.: Karzai

Omar Sobhani / REUTERS


Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a news conference in Kabul

October 20, 2011. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
updated 10/22/2011 11:13:05 AM ET

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

The remarks were in sharp contrast to recent tension between the two neighbors over cross-border raids, and Afghan accusations that Pakistan was involved in killing the chief Afghan peace envoy, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, by a suicide bomber on September 20.

"God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan," he said in the interview to Geo television.

"If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan's help, Afghanistan will be there with you."

Such a situation is extremely unlikely, however. Despite months of tension and tough talk between Washington and Islamabad, the two allies appear to be working to ease tension.

In a two-day visit to Islamabad, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued stern warnings and asked for more cooperation in winding down the war in Afghanistan, but ruled out "boots on the ground" in North Waziristan, where Washington has been pushing Pakistan to tackle the Haqqani network.

The Haqqani are a group of militants Washington has blamed for a series of attacks in Afghanistan, using sanctuaries in the Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border.

Pakistan is seen as a critical to the U.S. drive to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

Pressure on Islamabad has been mounting since U.S. special forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in May in a Pakistani garrison town, where he apparently had been living for years.

The secret bin Laden raid was the biggest blow to U.S.-Pakistan relations since

The secret bin Laden raid was the biggest blow to U.S.-Pakistan relations since Islamabad joined the U.S. "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Karzai said tensions between the United States and Pakistan did not have any impact in his country's attitude toward Pakistan.

The TV channel, Geo, did not say when the interview was conducted.

Afghans have long been suspicious of Pakistan's intentions in their country and question its promise to help bring peace. Karzai repeated that concern in his remarks.

"Please brother, stop using all methods that hurt us and that are now hurting you.

"Let's engage from a different platform, a platform in which the two brothers only progress toward a better future in peace and harmony," he said.

Following the death of Rabbani, Karzai said he would cease attempting to reach out to the Afghan Taliban and instead negotiate directly with Pakistan, saying its military and intelligence services could influence the militants to make peace.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44998270

We give them how much money?

Whither Obama Foreign Policy Genius: Afghanistan will side with Islamabad in any military conflict with the United States

Afghanistan Might Support Our Enemy in U.S.–Pakistan Conflict!

- John Lillpop
Sunday, October 23, 2011

While Barack Obama and the mainstream media are busy celebrating the president’s foreign policy triumph in Libya, American allies are rattling sables in a most disconcerting manner.

As reported at the reference, Afghanistan is expressing its gratitude for America’s help, including Obama’s surge of 30,000 troops, by pledging to support our opponent in the event of a U.S.-Pakistan conflict:

“KABUL – In a new conciliatory tone towards Pakistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday, October 22, that Afghanistan will side with Islamabad in any military conflict with the United States.

“God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan,â€

When you invite your allies to make a doormat of you, this is what happens.

October 23, 2011

Some ally; Karzai says he'd back Pakistan in war with US

Rick Moran
13 Comments

Gee - it's not like we've done anything for him - or his country.

Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oc ... sfeed=true

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, has said he would side with Pakistan in the event of war with the US in a surprising political twist that is likely to disconcert his western allies.

"If there is war between Pakistan and America, we will stand by Pakistan," Karzai said in a television interview. He put his hand on his heart and described Pakistan as a "brother" country.

The statement was widely interpreted as a rhetorical flourish rather than a significant offer of defence co-operation. Despite recent tension between Pakistan and the US, open warfare is a remote possibility.

Karzai - who is scrambling to ensure his political future in advance of the US military drawdown in 2014 - needs Pakistani help to bring the Taliban to peace talks. In the event of any conflict, his army, which is wholly dependent on US money and training, would be in no position to back Pakistan.

Nevertheless, the interview with Geo, Pakistan's largest network, was at stark variance with the tone set during a visit to the region by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and David Petraeus, the CIA director, days earlier.

In Kabul, Clinton bluntly warned Pakistan that the US would act unilaterally if Islamabad failed to crack down on the Taliban-linked Haqqani network inside its North Waziristan sanctuary.

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has said something similar about the US vs. Iran.

Why we keep expecting gratitude from these corrupt little men is beyond me. They owe everything to the US but if the chips are down, they would side with our enemies.

Even worse, we don't make it clear that we will cut off the massive aid we will still be sending these kleptocrats when we're gone if they try to pull a stunt like that. When you invite your allies to make a doormat of you, this is what happens.