- Former Afghan president has claimed that the United States allowed ISIS to expand in Afghanistan
- Karzai also criticized the U.S. for increasing extremism on Afghan soil
- Karzai also claims that there have been reports of helicopters from U.S. bases helping militants
- Last year marked the highest number of civilian deaths on record since the 2001 invasion
The former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has questioned why ISIS militants were allowed to expand and flourish on Afghan soil by the United States.
Karzai served as president between 2004 and 2014 and was one of the key supporters of the U.S. campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
But now the former leader has spoken out against the United States and claimed that their involvement in Afghanistan further destabilized the country.
"The U.S. came to Afghanistan to bring peace and stability and defeat extremism — [yet] we have more of it today. Why? That is what we should be discussing," Karzai said during an interview with RT.
He also criticized the American campaign which has killed thousands of civilians since the invasion following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
"Clearly bombings, killings, prisons and the harassment of people [in Afghanistan] have not worked," he added.
Meanwhile, Karzai also went on to question why U.S. military officials and intelligence chiefs had allowed ISIS to grow on Afghan soil despite earlier claims of spreading democracy in the war-damaged state.
"Who did this under the watch of U.S. intelligence and military in Afghanistan and how come?" We have the right to ask these questions and the U.S. government must answer," he said.
In a further twist, Karzai claimed that Afghan civilians have regularly reported that U.S. bases are being used to supply ISIS militants in the country.
"[They have told me about] how unmarked, non-military colored helicopters supply these people in not just one, but many parts of the country," he said.
He added that such reports were an almost daily occurrence.
Outspoken Karzai concluded that military action will not bring peace to Afghanistan.
“How come there is more extremism in spite of millions of dollars and loss of lives? The proof is what is happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
Afghans must develop a "mechanism of [their] own to reach to everyone, including the Taliban ─ the sons of our soil ─ to seek a settlement," he added.
Karzai believes that the questions that are being raised are founded on "fundamental evidence of wrongdoing."
"17 years on, the Americans can't even keep the airports safe on the day the defense secretary and the NATO chief are visiting Kabul," he concluded.
The number of civilian deaths in the Afghan war reached a record high earlier this year.
The U.N. found that U.S. and Afghan airstrikes saw a 43% increase in casualties.
The report showed that the deaths of women and children increased rapidly.
Child casualties increased by 9% to 436, compared with the same period last year, and 1,141 children were injured.
Meanwhile, female deaths increased by 23%, with 174 women killed and 462 wounded.
