Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Former President Hamid Karzai once again strongly condemned the Thursday’s US aerial attack on a Nangarhar village, calling it a “severely negative act”.
The US military dropped the 10-ton heavy bomb on the Mohmand Dara village of the Achin district, apparently targeting the Daesh terrorists’ strongholds.
The attack was followed by several criticisms and protests by Afghans inside the country and abroad.
“This was an attack against our soil, soil,” Karzai told BBC Persian.
He said it was not clear if the civilians had been killed in the attack, but it has damaged their houses.
“The village and villagers’ houses were turned into the nest of Daesh terrorists in the presence of the America,” Karzai said, adding that the United States came to Afghanistan 15 years ago under the pretext of combat against terrorism. “But, after 15 years we see that Afghanistan is more insecure, its problems have increased, extremism has increased, terrorism has increased.”
The former president added that Daesh is not only in Nangarhar, but it has expanded into the provinces of Zabul, Badakhshan, Faryab, and other areas.
In response to a question that he was a partner of the US during his tenure as president, Karzai said that he was the US partner seeking the interests of Afghanistan. “When I learned that the US goals are against the interests of Afghanistan, I stood against it.”
He said that he did not sign the security pact with the US because he knew Washington was not honest with Afghanistan. “I asked the Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) not to trust the US and not to allow it to establish military bases in our soil. I stood against the US bombardments from the first days.”
Karzai again attacked the government for confirming the bombardment, saying those who have confirmed the attack, have disrespected Afghanistan’s soil, national integrity and environment.
“They (government officials who have confirmed the attack) are part of the crime the US has committed in Afghanistan. As a citizen of Afghanistan, I call them part of the crime and do not represent me. They represent their service to America.”
The ex-president praised Taliban for being against the US attack. “If Taliban are against the attack, they have done well, thanks to them.”
He added that the US cannot use Afghanistan for its goals and deals in the region. “The US came to Afghanistan with the title of peace, with the title. It came with the pretext of combat against terrorism and extremism,” Karzai said.
“But security deteriorated, hatreds increased, murders increased, attacks on Afghans increased once under the name of Taliban and once under the name of Daesh. These two elements are empowering day after day.”
He criticized the US for not preventing the Daesh emergence in Afghanistan. “Why didn’t they do prevention of Daesh two years ago when Daesh was entering Afghanistan from the side of the Durand Line?”
Karzai said he was confident that Daesh is a tool for the US that paves ground for the US weapon tests like their other contractors.
“Thursday’s attack proved that Daesh is a US tool,” he concluded.
