Karzai calls on Taliban to fight Afghanistan's enemies
Following Wednesday's clash on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in which one Afghani was killed, and two Pakistanis were wounded, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Taliban forces to fight Afghanistan's enemies, 'instead of destroying their own country.'
Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday. In what's seen as a reference to Pakistan, Karzai called on the Taliban to fight Afghanistan's 'enemies.' Tensions have been high between the two countries after a clash between security forces Wednesday.
Rahmat Gul/AP
Kabul
Afghan President聽聽called on the聽聽on Saturday to fight聽's enemies in what was widely seen as a swipe against聽聽days after the neighbors' security forces clashed on their border.
Karzai's remarks are likely to unsettle already shaky ties with聽聽and come as the聽听飞补苍迟蝉听聽to help聽聽persuade the聽聽to engage in peace talks ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of next year.
"Instead of destroying their own country, they should turn their weapons against places where plots are made against Afghan prosperity," Karzai told reporters in the capital,聽, saying this was "a reminder for the聽."
"They should stand with this young man who was martyred and defend their soil," he said, referring to a border policeman who was killed in the Wednesday night clash on聽's border with聽. Two Pakistani soldiers were wounded.
Hundreds of men took to the streets of the eastern Afghan town of聽聽on Saturday, near where the clash took place, to protest against both聽聽and the聽.
A day earlier, thousands of men in聽聽rallied in support of the Afghan security forces.
听补苍诲听聽have had testy relations since聽聽was formed in 1947, at the end of British colonial rule over聽.听聽has never officially accepted the border between them.
聽helped the聽聽take power in聽聽in the 1990s. Many Afghan leaders say聽聽is still helping the militants, seeing them as a tool to counter the influence of its old rival,聽, in聽.
聽denies helping the militants and says it wants peace and stability in its western neighbour.
Karzai also revealed that he had spoken earlier on Saturday to the CIA's聽聽station chief, asking that the intelligence agency continue to provide payments to his country.
He was report in聽聽late last month that said his office has been receiving so-called ghost money from the CIA for more than a decade.
"Just this morning I met with the station chief of the CIA in聽聽and I thanked him for the support given to us in the past 10 years and I asked him to continue the support," he said, adding that the money was "flowing to"聽's intelligence agency, the聽.
"In the situation of聽聽where there is so much need ... it proves extremely helpful."
聽said the money was meant to buy influence for the CIA but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington's exit strategy from聽.