KABUL: Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday that military action cannot resolve conflict in Afghanistan.
In an interview, Karzai said that the United States should pressurize Pakistan to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban.
“The United States should limit its military mission in Afghanistan to supporting and training local forces,” Karzai said.
He said that it would be necessary to devise a continued pressure policy on Pakistan, together with China, Russia, India, and Iran, to force the Taliban leaders to join peace talks.
“The war on terror is not in Afghan villages; it is not in Afghan homes. You cannot defeat it…[by] launching military operations on Afghan homes,” Karzai said.
“Rather it should be found in the sanctuaries, in the training grounds, in the motivation factors, and in those powers or those institutions behind it, outside of Afghanistan.”
Earlier, Pakistan said that it was necessary to bring the Taliban and the top Afghan government officials together for a series of meetings and hold peace talks.
