ISIS emerged under US watch in Afghanistan: Karzai

Lahore [Pakistan], Oct.8 (ANI): Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai has alleged that US armed forces are aiding Daesh or Islamic State in Afghanistan as the extremism has increased in country after their presence.

"I have seen the Afghan people come to me and tell me how the ISIS or Daesh are supplied with helicopters, how unmarked non-military colour helicopters supply these people, not only in one part of the country but in many parts of Afghanistan," the Dawn quoted Karzai as saying.

Questioning that extremism has increased despite US presence, Karzai said, "The US came to Afghanistan to bring peace and stability and defeat extremism yet we have more of it today. Why? That is what we should be discussing," Karzai said. "Clearly bombings, killings, prisons and the harassment of people in Afghanistan have not worked."

"Who did this under the watch of US intelligence and military in Afghanistan and how come? We have the right to ask these questions and the US government must answer."

Karzai hoped that Pakistan would "recognise that it was used by the US against a neighbour for a purpose that was not human" at the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan".

He added that now the US, under President Donald Trump's South Asia policy, is doing the same to Pakistan to "prevent integration and economic development in this region."

Announcing his South Asia policy in August, Trump had called for greater troop deployment and Indian involvement in Afghanistan. The US president had also lambasted Pakistan for offering safe havens to "agents of chaos".

Karzai added that the common point between Pakistan and Afghanistan regarding Trump's policy was that both countries recognise it will not help matters in Afghanistan. "We don't want to be tools in big games where we get stepped on for the objectives of others," Karzai said. "Pakistan did the same to us, but we do not want to do this to Pakistan."

He said that Afghanistan wants to "extend a hand of friendship to Pakistan and join hands with the region to salvage ourselves from this conspiracy."(ANI)