Afghanistan, says Karzai, “wants to be a friend of Iran as a neighbour which shares the same language and religion.” Of course. And Washington has never taken sufficiently into account the strength of those ties of religion. This is part of the price it is paying for that omission. Another Friend and Ally Update: “Karzai opposes U.S. use of Afghan soil against Iran,” by Sayed Salahuddin for Reuters, July 14 :
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan opposes U.S. use of its territory for launching a possible attack against neighbouring Iran, President Hamid Karzai said in an interview broadcast on Monday.
Iran has threatened to target Israel and U.S. interests in the region in the event of an attack against the Islamic Republic which is locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear programme.
Karzai said his government, which came to power after U.S.-led and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001, had always tried to “keep the balance between the powers.”
“We are attentive to the dangers,” Karzai told Radio Liberty when asked about the possible repercussions of a conflict between Iran and the United States.
“Afghanistan should not become the battleground of differences of any country,” he said in a wide-ranging interview. “Afghanistan does not want its soil to be used against any country and Afghanistan wants to be a friend of Iran as a neighbour which shares the same language and religion.”…