ISAF chief slams claim of U.S.-Taliban collusion as false

PanARMENIAN.Net - The commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan has taken exception to President Hamid Karzai's contention that the United States and the Taliban were holding daily talks, and that the militant group prefers that foreign troops remain in the country, CNN reported.

"We have fought too hard over the past 12 years. We have shed too much blood over the past 12 years. We have done too much to help the Afghan Security Forces grow over the last 12 years to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage," said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force.

On Sunday, March 10, after a weekend bombing in Kabul that killed at least nine people, Karzai said there are "ongoing daily talks between Taliban, American and foreigners in Europe and in the Gulf states."

Saturday's attack, Karzai said, shows "that Taliban want longer presence of foreigners -- not their departure from Afghanistan."

Dunford took exception to that characterization.

"President Karzai has never said to me that the United States was colluding with the Taliban. All I can do is speak for the coalition to tell you that it's categorically false, and that we have no reason to be colluding with the Taliban," he said.

"We have no reason to be supporting instability in Afghanistan. And all that we have been about over the past 12 years is to bring peace and stability to the Afghan people so that they can take advantage of the decade of opportunity that will follow 2014."

The United States plans to wind up its 11-year combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of next year.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack at the Afghan defense ministry in Kabul, which killed at least nine people and wounded 14 others.