Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the world on Sunday to target the Taliban in Pakistan, adding that operations by foreign troops in his country had only led to civilian deaths among Afghans and not success in the war.
"If the world acts properly now and pays attention to the nests of terrorists, their training sites...the problem of the region would be solved," Karzai said at a news conference when asked to comment about what the West, in particular the United States, needed to do to contain the growing Afghan violence.
"The use of air force in the campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan, apart from civilian casualties ... has not had any other fruit to the people of Afghanistan and will not lead in the success against terrorism."
Karzai said since the overthrow of the Taliban, he had repeatedly told Western nations with troops in Afghanistan that the danger against his country and the foreign troops was in Pakistan. He said the West had only now realised the dangers and agreed with his assessment.
Afghanistan, Karzai said, did not wish to harm its neighbour, but wanted "hundred percent" the destruction of financial centres and training bases of terrorists there.