Afghan president Hamid Karzai tells US to take tougher line with Pak

In a sharp attack on Pakistan, Afghan president Hamid Karzai today asked the US to take a tougher line with Islamabad to get militant camps across the border shut down.

Karzai also criticised the American plan to withdraw troops from his country from July next year, saying making public the decision was aiding insurgents.

His remarks come as his top official Rangin Dadfar Spanta suggested that international forces, as part of their anti-terror strategy should "confront state" that still sees terrorism as a strategic asset and foreign policy tool.

Notwithstanding disclaimers from Pakistan, Afghan national security adviser and former foreign minister Spanta said, "Pakistan is continuing to provide sanctuary and support to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks."

Writing in the Washington Post, Spanta said the focus of international forces had been eroded by "mistaken embrace for strategic partners", who have, in fact, been nurturing terrorism, an apparent reference to moves by Washington to cultivate Islamabad as a partner in the fight to combat terrorism.

Spanta said, the "central issue is international jihadis" who take refuge in Pakistan and enjoy support and training from Pakistani military and intelligence agency.

"It is my firm belief, we cannot win if we continue business as usual," he said. "We have lost the reality. We've lost the focus."

He asked the US to redirect its focus on militants in Pakistan and called for sanctions against Islamabad and denial of visas to "Pakistani Generals and others that we know definitely are involved in supporting terrorist activities."

The Post said Karzai came out strongly on his views in his meeting in Kabul with the visiting US Congressional delegations and new US Central Command chief Gen James Mattis.

In a statement released after the meeting by the presidential secretariat, Karzai said the lack of progress in the war in Afghanistan was due to lack of focus on insurgents sanctuaries and killing of civilians during military operations.

He said that the July 2011 date that president Barack Obama set to began drawdown of US troops "has given courage to the enemies of Afghanistan."

These withdrawal dates have given the "enemy a moral booster" because they believe they can simply hold out until the Americans leave.

The Afghan president said that his forces should take the lead in operations in villages to clear out Taliban with the US and NATO soldiers behind them.