Karzai Threatens to Quit and Support Taliban

Days after he gave a speech with controversial remarks claiming that America and its Western allies were intent on keeping Afghanistan “weakened and battered…ineffective”, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai threatened to defect to the Taliban if conflicts continued between the US and Afghanistan. On behalf of the U.S, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated that the U.S was “frustrated” with Karzai’s remarks.

On Saturday, Karzai angered many when he implied that the US and Europe were intentionally occupying and controlling Afghanistan to keep it from being independent and powerful. Karzai’s latest remarks suggest that there are growing divides between Afghans and outsiders over how to best manage the country and keep it on the right track so that it does not fall victim to Taliban rule again. The Afghan parliament lately refused to approve Karzai’s choices for cabinet ministers, on the grounds that many of them were corrupt or unqualified. Karzai’s latest election to the presidency has also been a subject of scrutiny and debate, as many observers question whether Karzai won the election by corrupt means.

Afghanistan remains an unstable and dangerous nation, as evidenced by a case of friendly fire in February, when NATO forces accidentally shot and killed five Afghans. Karzai maintained that he did not believe his ideas would lead to controversy, and stated that if he did make good on his promise to join the Taliban, he would lead a movement focused on expelling foreign militaries instead of dismantling Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy.

More on the situation here.