AMY GOODMAN: "Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the United States is seeking to sign an accord with the Afghan government to keep U.S. troops in the country for the indefinite future. The United States plans to pull out the bulk of its 57,000 troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, but the Pentagon wants to retain a smaller force of around 10,000 forces after 2014. In addition, the United States wants to maintain the right to run unilateral counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan after 2014.... The news agency Agence France-Presse reports the U.S. plans to pull out the bulk of its 57,000 troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and has tentative plans to retain a smaller force of around 10,000 forces after that. On Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he hoped an accord on the future U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would be in place by November. Hagel said, "We’re working with President Karzai and his government to get that bilateral security agreement completed and signed," unquote. However, President Karzai has insisted Afghanistan would not be rushed over the negotiations and has even hinted an agreement might not be finalized before presidential elections in April next year. Let’s talk about the U.S. presence now in Afghanistan and the future plan for bases and a base of operations for counterterrorism forces, Malalai Joya." MALALAI JOYA: "Yeah, as I briefly said, as tip of the iceberg example of the brutalities and war crime of the U.S. and also these fundamentalist warlords, even Taliban, who both of them their godfather is the U.S. And regarding the withdrawal of the troops, just a few thousands of the troops will withdraw, to deceive justice-loving people of the U.S. and around the world, as they’re under pressure of justice-loving people of these countries because of this endless war there, but their military bases remain there, as nine major military bases now. They are working on it and going to legalize this. And also, that they raise this propaganda that civil war will happen if we leave Afghanistan. Behind of this, also the hand of the U.S., to make afraid the people to accept these military bases. I believe as long as in a country which has foreign military bases, U.S. military bases, they can’t expect that they have independence. And same in my country, when we don’t have independence, talking about democracy, women rights, human rights is just a painful joke. And also that everyone know now—it became clear for Afghan people, too—that the U.S. is there for their own strategic, regional, economic and political interests. They don’t take care to the well wishes of these Afghan people, and they are there for their own evil agendas, as now trying to bring these terrorist Taliban also in power under the name of national peace reconciliation, as I believe such kind of so-called peace will be more dangerous than the current war, because the result of this peace will be—become united the enemies of Afghan people—Taliban, warlords, these drug lords, terrorists. And also the puppets of Russia, call them—our people call them Khalki and Parchami—as recently attorney general of Holland released a list of 5,000 innocent people, most of them intellectuals, who were massacred and killed by a puppet of Russia, as now they have high posts in Karzai’s regime. So U.S. trying to make more powerful their puppet regime, then also their military bases remain there, then even indirectly and also in a different way, they continue to their barbarism and control Afghanistan." AMY GOODMAN: "Do you think the U.S. forces should remain there?" MALALAI JOYA: "They must leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. They should leave Afghanistan now, as they occupied our country. We have proudful history, never accept occupation. And they still push more Afghanistan toward the Stone Ages by supporting these terrorists, as the presence of these troops make much harder our struggle for justice and democracy, and create more obstacles for true democratic-minded elements." -from Democracy Now. October 3, 2013
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 04:28:19 +0000
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