Karzai's Double-Dealing

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 4, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

               Blaming foreign powers for last year’s election fraud, Afghan President—and U.S. puppet—Hamid Karzai pandered to the Taliban, pointing fingers at the U.S. for voter irregularity.  Karzai, known as the mayor of Kabul, for having so little control over the rest of Afghanistan, hangs onto power by pandering and paying off U.S. enemies, including the Taliban and drug lords flourishing under his reign.  Since President Barack Obama ordered 20,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan March 2008 and another 30,000 last December, casualty rates have quintupled.  Karzai’s comments fly in the face of U.S. sacrifices of blood-and-treasure.  “Obviously, some of the comments by President Karzai are troubling.  They are cause for real and genuine concern,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.  Karazi’s incendiary remarks came only two days after Barack’s unexpected visit to U.S. forces.

            Since Operation Enduring Freedom began Oct. 7, 2001 in the wake of Sept. 11, the U.S. has lost 1,032 combat-related deaths.  While only a fraction of the 14,453 Soviet war from Dec. 27, 1979 to Feb. 15, 1989, the U.S. continues to lose significant numbers especially since Obama’s troop surge in December 2009.  When the Taliban fell Nov. 13, 2001, the U.S. lost its mission, eventually diverting U.S. military assets to Iraq March 20, 2003.  For the ensuing seven years of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. allowed the Taliban to regroup and occupy southern provinces around Kandahar.  When Barack, at the behest of U.S. Centom Commader Gen. David Petraeus and Afghan Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, surged forces Dec. 2, he placed a date certain in 2011 for U.S. withdrawal.  While the U.S. attempts to clear out the Taliban, Karzai continues to cut his own private deals.

            Karzai’s reelection Aug. 21, 2009 was questioned by his chief rival Abdullah Abdullah Aug. 24, 2009 and international election monitors, including former President Jimmy Carter, who accused Karzai of outright fraud.  Abdullah noted irregular voting in the southern provinces, including Taliban-controlled Kandhar.  It’s no accident that the Taliban supported Karazi, who’s given the U.S. enemy carte blanche to run amok in southern Afghanistan, running arms and drugs.  Karzai’s close relationship with the Taliban belied his intent with U.S. forces to purge Afghanistan of the once tyrannical Islamic rulers.  Whether admitted to or not, Karzai’s continued power—and his survival—depends on Taliban support.  Despite bombing and attacking U.S. troops, Karzai makes his under-the-table deals with the Taliban who, together with Afghan’s drug and warlords, control the country.

            When Barack visited Afghanistan March 28, he delivered a stern message to Karzai to clean up Afghan’s corruption or face possible early withdrawal of U.S. forces, slated for 2011.  Karzai’s recent gaffe blaming election fraud on “foreign forces” was especially egregious considering U.S. forces die daily to preserve Karzai’s hold on Afghanistan.  “The president was quite clear with President Karzai over the weekend about the necessary steps that have to be taken to improve governance and corruption,” said Gibbs, signaling that Obama put down the hammer.  Current White House officials—and those of the past Bush administration—wouldn’t acknowledge that U.S. forces have been sold down the river by the Karzai government.   He’s ceded territory, rigged the last election and paid off the Taliban with U.S. aid to preserve his own feeble grip on power.

            Calling the some 126,000 troops in Afghanistan “invaders,” Karzai tips his hand regarding his loyalty to the Taliban.  He referred to the Taliban insurgency as a form of “a national resistance” pandering to the fanatical Islamic regime that committed documented atrocities on Afghan citizens.  “There was fraud in the presidential and provincial council elections—no doubt that there was a very widespread fraud, very widespread,” said Karzai.  “But Afghans did not do this fraud.  The foreigners did this fraud,” diverting attention away from himself, the Taliban and his own party.  No foreign entity had a vested interest in the Afghan election.  Only Karzai and his clandestine Taliban partnership was determined to see him reelected.  Obama got a firsthand look at the farce of spilling more U.S. blood-and-treasure for the Karzai government, necessitating an immediate policy review.

            Barack’s Dec. 2 decision to add 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan didn’t sit well with his supporters precisely because of the war and corruption in the Karzai government.  When the U.N. determined Karzai had fixed the Nov. 3 election, Karzai should have ordered a new vote.  Pointing fingers at the U.S., U.N. or any other foreign source, diverts attention away from the only person with a vested interest in his reelection:   Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  Accusing “embassies” of orchestration fraud, specifically U.N. Deputy head of Mission Peter Galbraith and EU Election Observer Mission Philippe Morillon, camouflages Karzai’s close ties with the Taliban.  After wasting so much blood-and-treasure, Obama must reconsider the mission of defending the Karzai government, a regime that endangers U.S. troops by giving aid-and-comfort to the enemy.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.