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'Afghans Dying Every Day': Politicians Slam Security Treaty With US

There is no other way than to consider a new Afghan security agreement that will bring together both regional players and global powers to ensure the security in the country, Afghan politicians have told Sputnik, stressing that the Obama-era Bilateral Security Agreement with Kabul has proven completely ineffective.
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Kabul needs to reconsider the 2014 Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) signed by the Obama administration and the government of Ashraf Ghani as the people of Afghanistan are increasingly losing trust in their international partners, politicians told Sputnik Afghanistan.

"The US came to Afghanistan to defeat terrorism," says Shakiba Hashemi, member of the National Security Committee of the Parliament of Afghanistan. "In 2001, before they gained control over Afghanistan, they destroyed the cars of terrorists so that neighboring automobiles sustained no damage. How has it happened that they cannot conduct reconnaissance operations and successfully prevent attacks now, when they control all the regions in Afghanistan? Why do 21 terrorist groups freely operate in Afghanistan? This ambiguity has prompted the people of Afghanistan to lose faith in their international partners." 

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According to Zakiya Sangin, a parliamentary member of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) from Parwan province, the US has not delivered on its promise to ensure the country's security.

"Our government approved this agreement, hoping for peace and assistance to our security forces," she underscored. "However the US did not fulfill its obligations. The security situation has not improved, it has only got worse and the Afghans are dying every day."

Sangin pointed out that members of the country's parliament have repeatedly emphasized the need to either reconsider or cancel the agreement.

"However, it is obvious, that the government of Afghanistan is an American puppet, and the president and the head of the executive branch were appointed by the US special representative," the politician claimed, adding that the plea to review the agreement remains largely neglected, since it contradicts US interests in the region.

Gul Ahamad Azami, a senator from Farah province, believes that the government was forced to sign the security accords: "The memories of the civil war are very bitter," he said. "Members of parliament were forced to approve this treaty, which has not brought us any benefits. We expected that the US, which was supposed to act in accordance with the security treaty and be committed to its obligations, would defend our people, and [fight] for peace, democracy and social justice."

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According to the senator, "there is no other way than to sign a new agreement."

Azami believes that Afghanistan should not be a place where regional and global powers clash. The politician insists that the country should become a point of connection rather than an apple of discord.

He suggested that Kabul needs to sign another treaty which will be concluded by the countries of the region and global powers and which will help combat terrorism. "Of course, this treaty requires the international control and guarantees," he said, adding that the country's neighbors and Muslim countries should also participate in this agreement.

In September 2014 Washington and Kabul inked the bilateral security agreement which stipulated that 10,000 US troops could stay in Afghanistan after the end of the US-led coalition mission in December 2014.

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The conclusion of this agreement was one of the election promises of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. His predecessor, Hamid Karzai, for a long time refused to conclude this treaty with the American government referring to the fact that the US war in the region had never been in the interest of the country. As a result, his relationship with Washington was spoiled.

Last week, Afghan parliamentarians expressed concerns over the destabilization of the situation in the country and lambasted Kabul's security policy. The chairman of the upper house of the country's parliament, Fazl Hadi Muslemyar, admitted the need to change the current military strategy and promised to discuss the issue directly with the incumbent President Ghani.

The views of the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

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