Hamid Karzai on the US, ISIL and war crimes
We ask ex-President Karzai about calls for an ICC investigation and if more US troops in Afghanistan is a good idea.
As US President Donald Trump plans to send more troops to fight in the 16-year-long war in Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor now calls for investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country.
In this challenging interview, Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, says he welcomes the ICC to investigate war crimes, including those committed under his watch from 2004-2014.
“She’s right to launch such an investigation,” says Karzai, referring to ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
Karzai also acknowledges that there were human rights violations during his government, and possibly under his watch. “Definitely, there were violations by the Afghan security forces, by the US, and by others,” he says.
When asked if he would cooperate with an investigation into his own potential complicity, he said, “Absolutely. Welcome. I have been asking for this so that they come to Afghanistan and investigate as to what has happened in this country.”
In this week’s Headliner, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai discusses the US strategy in Afghanistan, the Taliban and alleged human rights violations that may have taken place under his watch.
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