Afghan, Pakistani leaders offer praise for Obama’s plan

KABUL (AP) — Afghan and Pakistani officials praised the strategy President Barack Obama unveiled Friday for their countries, saying his emphasis on civilian aid would be an effective way to deal with the growing violence from Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001, but many members of the militant group fled to Pakistan, where they have been staging cross-border attacks alongside al-Qaida against Afghan and international troops. The Obama administration hopes its new strategy will improve security and bolster the Afghan government.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Obama’s plan to provide an additional 4,000 troops to train Afghanistan’s army and police would benefit both his country and the region.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari praised Obama’s plan to give his country $1.5 billion in civilian aid annually to try to improve people’s lives and counter the influence of Islamic militants, said the state news agency.

Afghan presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada also praised Obama’s focus on increasing civilian aid to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“We appreciate the focus on development assistance for the Afghan and Pakistani people while not losing sight of the fight against terrorism,” Hamidzada told The Associated Press.

Obama said the U.S. would also send hundreds of additional civilians to Afghanistan, with the overarching goal “to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.”

Karzai said the new strategy “will bring Afghanistan and the international community closer to success.”

Other Afghan officials praised the new U.S. strategy, especially Obama’s focus on militant sanctuaries in Pakistan. Obama called the mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan “the most dangerous place in the world.”

The U.S. and Afghanistan have repeatedly called on Pakistan to crack down on militants on its territory. The Pakistani government has pledged to do so, but many Afghan and Western officials suspect officers within the country’s spy agency of supporting the Taliban, which Pakistan helped bring to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s.

“We particularly welcome the recognition that the problem in Afghanistan has strong regional dynamics, and there has to be a regional solution,” Hamidzada said of the new U.S. strategy. “We also welcome the recognition that the al-Qaida threat is emanating from Pakistan.”