The US on Monday strongly rejected allegations from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that America was colluding with the Taliban to justify troops presence in the war-torn country.
“Any suggestion the US is colluding with the Taliban is categorically false,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
“The US has spent enormous blood and treasure for the past 12 years supporting the Afghan people in ensuring -- in the effort to ensure stability and security in that country,” Carney said.
“The last thing we would do is support any kind of violence, particularly involving innocent civilians,” Carney said in response to a question.
The president has a policy that has been embraced by NATO, by our allies in the coalition, and we are pursuing that policy. That includes -- we’ve drawn down the search forces, and we’re winding down our troop presence in Afghanistan as we build up Afghan security forces and turn over security lead to Afghan security forces, and that progress continues,” he said.
Carney conceded that there is no question that there have been a number of difficult security incidents, and there have been comments by the Afghan President Hamid Karzai with which the US has disagreed.
“But our policy has not changed,” he asserted.
“What’s important to remember is we went into Afghanistan because we were attacked from Afghanistan. We went into Afghanistan, and the President made sure that we refocused on this goal when he reviewed Afghan policy upon becoming President in order to go after those who attacked the US, go after those who killed Americans, to go after al-Qaeda central, which had taken haven in Afghanistan,” he said.
“That remains the principal objective of our mission in Afghanistan, to disrupt, dismantle and ultimately defeat al-Qaeda in the Afghanistan region, to, in service of that goal, train and build up Afghan security forces so they can take over security for their country and to provide the space necessary for the Afghan government to increase stability in that country and to allow us to continue to go after al-Qaeda, which is, again, our primary objective,” Carney said.
Karzai today criticised the Taliban for holding daily talks with the US yesterday.
Karzai also said that attacks in the country enabled the US-led military force to justify its presence in Afghanistan.