Afghan President Hamid Karzai has again harshly criticized coalition strategy for fighting Afghanistan's stubborn insurgency.
President Karzai said in a meeting Sunday with the visiting German Parliament speaker Norbert Lammer the current strategy has been "ineffective" and has not achieved anything other than "killing civilians."
Mr. Karzai also said rethinking counter-insurgency strategies in Afghanistan is the war-torn country's most pressing need.
The president made similar comments last week when he said NATO and Afghan forces are faltering in their battle against terrorism. He blamed the lack of progress on civilian casualties in during NATO military operations and the presence of militant sanctuaries across the border in Pakistan. He said that Washington's July 2011 deadline for the start of a troop pullout in Afghanistan has given insurgents a "morale boost."
Last month, the Afghan president questioned the willingness of Western allies to go after terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan. He said only international forces have the ability to tackle such insurgent forces.
Mr. Karzai said the war against terrorism is "not in Afghanistan's homes and villages," but in the sanctuaries and training centers that lie outside the country.
Earlier this year, Mr. Karzai and President Barack Obama made a public show of unity during a high profile visit by the Afghan president to Washington.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
