A former head of Pakistani intelligence, Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul, has stated that the conflict in Afghanistan cannot be won. Gul, whose agency worked closely with the Taliban prior to the U.S. invasion and continues to maintain ties with the organization, argued in an interview with CNN that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is “unjust” and that the original reason for moving into the country, to capture al-Qaeda officials, was only a pretext.

Gul believes that “Time is on the side of the resistance”, and that the allies should be dealing with the insurgents rather than Hamid Karzai:

The only solution would be peace negotiations with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, not with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Gul concluded. “There is only one man who can give the guarantee that there will be no terrorism exported from Afghanistan,” Gul said. “Don’t talk to Karzai; he’s a puppet.”

Read more: “Ex-Pakistan spy chief: Afghanistan war ‘lost cause‘”, CNN, 6 August 2010

Photo credit: LS Paul Berry, Australian Department of Defence