Hamid-Karzai To Step Down As President Of Afghanistan.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9797379/Afghanistans-Hamid-Karzai-to-step-down-as-president-in-2014.html

Now there is a surprise, did anyone really think he would remain in that very dangerous position as President of his country when it was no longer protected by NATO forces?

I wonder where he will try and obtain sanctuary, in the UK or the US?

/// He thanked the United States for its role in Afghanistan since overthrowing the Taliban in 2001. /// ?????????????????????

[emmie]

why has he not mentioned the help and lives given by British servicemen and women

[anotheoldgit]

Yes I was thinking that Em.

/// Obama hints at accelerated pullout after talks with Karzai on Afghan future ///

/// Barack Obama and Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai came close to sealing a deal at the White House on Friday that would keep a small US force in the country after the pullout of most international forces at the end of 2014. ///

/// Obama also hinted that that pullout may be accelerated, citing a speedier than predicted handover to Afghanistan security forces this spring. ///

When will it be the end of 2014 or Spring 2013?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/11/obama-karzai-close-agreement-us-afghanistan

If he means a handover to Afghan troops this Spring, then surely our troops will be at risk from both sides, seeing the number of Green on Blue murders our troops have endured lately.

[emmie]

isn't he supposed to be the USA poodle, perhaps that is why he has thanked them for all the help, whilst leaving us feeling like a wallflower. Time we were out of there, leave them to it, and don't follow the USA in any more of these conflicts.

[anotheoldgit]

em10

/// isn't he supposed to be the USA poodle, ///

He only holds second place for that title Em.

[emmie]

we are no one's poodle, time we told the USA no to anymore wars in ME

[Gromit]

When he retires he will have been President for 10 years. Which is longer than any American President is allowed to serve. About the same as Blair and a few months less than Thatcher. It is a long time to rule a country let alone one as problematic as Afghanistan. We wanted a leader, we did not want to install a dictator who would still hold power in twenty years.

Be honest to yourselves, it was an American invasion, we just went along to make it look legitimate. We helped, but we didn't change anything. So did other countries who you fail to mention, such as the Dutch.

Hopefully there will be better candidates next year anf things will settle down. And we can all try and forget being draw by our friends into an unwinnable war.

[pdq1]

The job is like a poisoned chalice. No wonder the US is trying to talk to the Taliban before they leave. When the coalition does leave en masse eventually the Taliban will take over and the new leader of Aghanistan if he fears for his life will do their bidding. Back to square one then. Ten wasted years and what have we achieved.

[Gromit]

We used to talk to the Taliban before the war. We had diplomatic relations with them, hell we were responsible for them gaining power when the Russians left. They were leligious inspiredand had bad attitudes to women but plenty of Governments around the world are like that.

The main problem was they let al qaeda have training bases in their country. So we invaded. Unfortunately that encouraged tens of thousands of al qaeda fighters to go there. I am not sure that was unforeseen. We were able to have a more conventional war with them there instead of in the skies about New York and Washington. We killed a lot of our enemies. Al qaeda are mostly gone, the Taliban remain.

[keyplus90]

He will go back where he came from and that is USA. But it is proving my point that I said few years back that time will come when Taliban will become "good boys" again in the eyes of USA & CO because they will have no other option.

[keyplus90]

////why has he not mentioned the help and lives given by British servicemen and women////

Usually main contractors are credited and not the sub-contractors.

[daffy654]

He thanked the Americans because his speech was to the Americans ... in America.

[sandyRoe]

I think the Americans should offer him sanctuary. President Marcos of the Philippines was allowed to see out his days in Hawaii. If the Yanks gave him a modest pension he could do the same.

[jno]

Usually main contractors are credited and not the sub-contractors

True; only in Hollywood does every hairdresser and bus driver get a credit.

[sandyRoe]

A puppet president must carry more weight than a hairdresser or a bus driver, surely?
Credit where credit's due.

[bazwillrun]

Like a top sportman...get out whilst you on top...on top here means still alive and with millions upon millions of $, £ of aid money etc stashed away

[jno]

I wass referring to the humble British serviceperson, sandyRoe. I expect Karzai's farewell speech will contain a clickable link to a list of them all.