Afghan Govt. Cheers Sanctions, Rules Out Peace With Haqqanis

Pakistan: Sanctions Won't Change Any Policy

Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s office issued a statement today praising the United Nations Security Council for imposing a new round of sanctions to the Haqqani Network, adding them to a UN blacklist worldwide.

Karzai spokesman Aimal Faizi said that despite his government’s goal of “reconciliation,” they have ruled out any negotiations with the Haqqanis and would never reach any peace deal with them in the first place, saying they are in the service of the Pakistani ISI.

Pakistan for its part shrugged off the announced sanctions, saying that they are already talking all the measures against the Haqqanis that the resolution demands, and that no changes in policy will be necessary.

US officials rejected Pakistan’s comments, insisting that if the Pakistani government actually did all those things the network would have ceased to exist by now. The US has regularly blamed the Haqqanis for attacks, even when other factions have claimed credit, and insists they are to blame for many of the struggles in the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.