‘Isolated from reality’: US general sacked over Karzai criticism
Major General Peter Fuller, deputy commander of Nato’s mission to train and equip Afghan forces, was dismissed after making “inappropriate public comments”, the Nato-led international force said.
Fuller’s comments made public some of the frustrations expressed privately by US and other foreign military officers and diplomats about working with Karzai and his government.
In an interview published by news website Politico on Thursday, Fuller said Afghan leaders did not fully recognise the human and financial cost borne by the United States in Afghanistan and were “isolated from reality”.
He also directly criticised Karzai after the president said last month that Afghanistan would support Pakistan if Islamabad ever went to war with the United States.
“Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle?” Fuller said of Karzai’s comments.
“You’ve got to be kidding me... I’m sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you’re telling me, ‘I don’t really care?’” He added: “When they are going to have a presidential election, you hope they get a guy that’s more articulate in public.”
US General John Allen, commander of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan, said the remarks did not reflect the state of the international force’s relationship with Karzai’s administration.
“These unfortunate comments are neither indicative of our current solid relationship with the government of Afghanistan, its leadership, or our joint commitment to prevail here in Afghanistan,” Allen said in a statement.
“The Afghan people are an honourable people and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission — bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.”
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta fully backed the decision to dismiss Fuller with immediate effect, spokesman Captain John Kirby told AFP.
A spokesman for Isaf in Kabul, Lieutenant Gregory Keeley, said it did not have any information on whether Fuller, a two-star general, would be leaving the military or redeploy to another role.
News of Fuller’s sacking emerged as Lieutenant General Daniel Bolger on Saturday took overall command of Nato’s training mission in Afghanistan from Lieutenant General William Caldwell, who has completed a two-year tour of duty.
Elsewhere in the interview, Fuller used an unusual analogy to illustrate how he had to tell Afghan officials why they could not have equipment like F-16 fighter jets and tanks.
“You can teach a man how to fish, or you can give them a fish,” said Fuller.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2011.
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At least they have some respect for President Karzai unlike our Prime Minister who was called a liar by the Americans.
It's the only thing they can do to save Karzai's feelings. They certainly can't say he's wrong with a straight face.
Comments were only inappropriate because they were made publicly - however his comments were truthful.