NATO military presence foments Afghan violence: Iran
July 20th, 2010 - 8:23 pm ICT by IANSKabul, July 20 (DPA) Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Tuesday that the presence and increasing number of NATO troops was stirring up violence in Afghanistan.
Mottaki, who was speaking at an international conference on Afghanistan in the country’s capital, said that “despite the increase in the number of foreign forces, the security situation has worsened (in Afghanistan) and there is no positive prospective for improvement in future.”
“Therefore, it is quite obvious that the increase in the number of foreign forces and their operations not only failed to help solve the issues but they have further fomented violence,” he said.
“It also shows that the presence and increase in the number of foreign troops is one of the factors for insecurity, violence and public disillusionment.”
The conference was attended by nearly 40 foreign ministers, including US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Speaking at the same event, Clinton said: “We have no intention of abandoning our long-term mission of achieving a stable, secure, peaceful Afghanistan.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai set 2014 as a date for his country’s forces to take on overall security responsibility, while NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance would remain to support Afghan forces even after the transition of security to Afghans.
Mottaki also insisted that more responsibility be transferred to Afghans, but added that “there should be a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces” from Afghanistan.
- NATO chief expresses concerns over Afghan insider attacks - Sep 04, 2012
- Violence not affecting Afghan transition: NATO chief - Feb 29, 2012
- NATO to continue military pressure on Haqqani network - Nov 03, 2011
- Pakistan backs NATO's 2014 Afghanistan handover deadline - Nov 22, 2010
- NATO to begin 'new phase of campaign' in Afghanistan after 2014 transition: Official - Jan 26, 2011
- Airstrikes on Pakistani troops unintended: NATO chief - Nov 27, 2011
- NATO plans new Afghan mission after 2014 - Jun 04, 2012
- Pakistan to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan: Clinton (Lead) - Jul 04, 2012
- Karzai gets approval for key plans at Afghan conference (Lead) - Jul 20, 2010
- Afghan security forces must be sustainable: NATO - Jan 19, 2012
- NATO for phased transfer of security responsibility to Afghans by 2014 - Nov 21, 2010
- NATO endorses Obama's exit plan from Afghanistan - May 22, 2012
- NATO asks Pakistan to open transit routes - Apr 20, 2012
- Zardari-NATO chief meet postponed due to plane delay - May 20, 2012
- NATO on course for planned Afghan withdrawal: Merkel - May 05, 2012
Tags: afghan president hamid, afghan president hamid karzai, afghans, anders fogh rasmussen, disillusionment, dpa, foreign ministers, hamid karzai, hillary rodham clinton, insecurity, iranian foreign minister, kabul, military presence, nato chief, nato troops, president hamid karzai, secretary of state, security responsibility, security situation, timetable