US has not met its ‘moral standards’ in Afghanistan: Karzai

Pressed whether the US has not met their own moral standards and was Washington waging an “immoral war” in Afghanistan,Karzai said: “No. No. It’s not immoral war,it’s the standard of morality that we are seeking which is also one that is being desired and spoken about in America.

“In other words,are we the same as the terrorists,are we the same as the bad guys,or are we standing on a much higher moral,moral platform? Are we better human beings or not?,” Karzai said.

He insisted that “extreme care” should be taken to protect civilians “and their children and their homes” for the civilians “to see us (as) completely distinct and separate from the terrorists.”

Referring to the recent US bombing in Farah district where some 100 Afghan civilians died,he noted that the incident resulted in “massive” civilian casualties.

However,US military officials and the Afghan government went together to visit the affected population. “That means the people are still with us. Had they been against us,they would have not received us,they would have not come to us. But then,there is a limit to all of that,” Karzai said.

“Any society will,will,will get fed up with,with,with continued violence and continued casualties. That is something very,very serious.”

Karzai said during his meetings in Washington last week,he had conveyed Kabul’s concerns to the Obama administration.

“I have conveyed this to my friends in America in all humility and friendship,on behalf of the Afghan people,that Afghans are a straightforward,honest allies,believing in the cause that we have undertaken,and that’s why we were able to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in less than a month and a half.” And if you continue to behave the way we are,we will lose that,” he said.

Demanding an end to US air strikes that has resulted in heavy civilian casualties in Afghanistan,Karzai had on Saturday said that the war on terror should not be fought in “Afghan villages and homes.”

“We demand the proper conduction of operations. We demand an end to these operations,” Karzai,who was here to attend a trilateral anti-terror summit of the US,Pakistan and Afghanistan,had said.