Karzai: Afghanistan More Secure Before British Troops Arrived

UK Troops May 'Feel Fulfilled,' But They're Making Things Worse

During his visit to the United Kingdom today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai insisted that the British combat troops sent to Afghanistan were making matters worse, saying that the Helmand Province was actually more secure before they got there.

“They feel fulfilled with regard to the objective of fighting terrorism,” Karzai said, adding that they were “fighting in the wrong place in the first place” and should “discontinue doing that and leave.”

Karzai’s visit mostly included talking with Prime Minister David Cameron and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari about peace talks with the Taliban, which are stalled at any rate. Karzai has noted that NATO troops aren’t accomplishing much in the past, but has been more quiet about that in recent months as NATO debates troop levels.

The comments on Helmand appear mostly in line with the evidence and other official reports in the past, as indeed the province got dramatically more violent with the arrival of NATO (mostly British) troops.

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.