The Inspiring Wali Karzai

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The Inspiring Wali Karzai
Posted by Michael Cohen

So as every sentient observer of the war in Afghanistan is intimately aware the US is preparing to do battle this summer in Kandahar province. Our goal is not only weaken the Taliban militarily, but also to extend the legitimacy of the Afghan government and build up good governance in the province. And who is the government representative for this insurgent-laden land. None other than the precocious Ahmad Wali Karzai.

Wali Karzai has a rather "unique" resume. He's supposedly on the CIA payroll, is the brother of the president . . and is likely a major drug dealer. But dwelling on these "attributes" really doesn't do justice to the man; because in fact Walid Karzai is an individual of great personal empathy.

Case in point; this past Tuesday Kandahar was racked by another in a series of suicide bombings. Three people were killed and dozens were wounded. This followed the murder last week of a top Afghan government official by Taliban insurgents . . . in a mosque.

So what were Walid Karzai's soothing comments to his fellow Kandaharis after the latest attack:

" "We are not facing a big threat," said Ahmad Wali Karzai, the president's half brother and a top official in Kandahar province. He added that the security situation was far worse a few years ago.

" "You get one or two incidents once or twice a week," he told The Associated Press. "That shouldn't be a concern. A suicide attack can happen anywhere."

Wow. I mean wow. Can you imagine a public official anywhere in the world making a comment like that. "A suicide attack can happen anywhere." While nominally a true statement it bears noting that such attacks occur with somewhat depressing regularity in Kandahar. And for the record, this guy is the representative of the Karzai government in Southern Afghanistan . . . the government on whose behalf we are fighting a counter-insurgency . . . which, as one of its key goals, is seeking to improve governance and security in Southern Afghanistan. Did I mention, wow?

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A few months from now I think we'll be able to tell a lot about the success of operations in Kandahar by whether Wali Karzai still has a job. His soothing words, notwithstanding, it seems pretty clear he isn't part of the problem in Kandahar. He is the problem. ... http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2010/04/the-inspiring-wali-karzai.html