In farewell speech, Karzai directs barbs at US

United States and Pakistan blamed for Afghanistan's long war

KABAL: Outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday blamed the United States and Pakistan for his country’s long war, a final swipe at the country that helped bring him to power 13 years ago but towards which he has become increasingly bitter.

His farewell speech came days ahead of the planned swearing in of a new president, Ashraf Ghani, after months of potentially violent crisis over a disputed election that ended in a power-sharing deal, yet to be tested, with rival Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai blamed both the United States and Pakistan for the continuing war with the Taliban-led insurgency and warned the new government to be “extra cautious in relations with the US and the West”.

“One of the reasons was that the Americans did not want peace because they had their own agenda and objectives,” Karzai said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2014.