Terrorism Grew with US Troops in Afghanistan: Ex-President Karzai
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US mission in Afghanistan carried out since 2001 has only deteriorated the political situation in the country, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama announced that Washington will keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan throughout most of 2016, further maintaining 5,500 troops in after 2016, instead of fully withdrawing all of its forces from the country by the next year, as originally planned, Sputnik News reportes.
Afghan Khaama Press agency quoted Karzai as saying on Saturday that during the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan, terrorism was not only rooted out, but also gained momentum.
The former Afghan president added that the Afghan people agreed with the sustained presence of foreign forces 14 years ago only with a hope to tackle terrorism and maintain peace in the country.
In recent months, the Afghan government has been faced with a resurgent Taliban and the spread of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant extremists in several provinces.
