Afghans rely on international support says Karzai

Afghanistan will need the financial support of the international community for at least another decade beyond the 2014 departure of international troops, president Hamid Karzai told an international conference yesterday.

“Together we have spent blood and treasure in fighting terrorism,” Mr Karzai said. “Your continued solidarity, your commitment and support will be crucial so that we can consolidate our gains and continue to address the challenges that remain.”

But the international conference on the future of Afghanistan in Bonn was overshadowed by a public display of bad blood between the US and Pakistan, the two nations with the greatest stake and say in making Afghanistan safe and solvent.

Pakistan boycotted the conference in protest at a US air strike last month that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border with Afghanistan. The strike furthered the perception in Pakistan that Nato and the US are its true enemies, not the Taleban that operate across the border.

During the conference, about 100 nations and organisations, including the UN, pledged political and financial long-term support for Afghanistan.