US-Iran tension plays out in Afghanistan

By DEB RIECHMANN and RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press Writers Deb Riechmann And Rahim Faiez, Associated Press Writers – 16 mins ago

Ahmadinejad said the United States was playing a "double game" in Afghanistan, fighting militants it once supported.

Ahmadinejad threw back the phrase Wednesday.

During the 10 years that the Soviet Union fought in Afghanistan, the U.S. supplied rebels with everything from mules to advanced weaponry, including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles that helped neutralize Soviet air power. After the U.S. money evaporated, the world watched Afghanistan plunge into chaos and eventually harbor the al-Qaida terrorist network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.

But while Iran supported efforts to oust the repressive Taliban regime from power in Afghanistan, it opposed the U.S.-led offensive to topple the Taliban after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Iran is wary of a long-term U.S. military presence in the region.

"Your country is located on the other side of the world so what are you doing here?" Ahmadinejad asked the reporter from a U.S. media outlet.

"Those who say they are fighting terrorists, they are not successful," he said.

Ahmadinejad‘s criticism of the U.S. put Karzai in an awkward spot because he is dependent on the U.S. and other donor nations to rebuild Afghanistan after decades of war. When the news conference was ended a second time, Ahmadinejad apologized to Karzai for talking so long.

"We are very hopeful that our brother nation of Iran will work with us in bringing peace and security to Afghanistan so that both our countries will be secure," Karzai said. He said Afghanistan had a very good relationship with Iran and he thanked the Iranian people for aid used for reconstruction.

Abdul Hameed Mubrez, a political analyst and former Afghan minister, said Ahmadinejad should respect Afghanistan‘s positions.

"We reject this kind of interference in our policy," Mubrez said. "Ahmadinejad wants to disrupt Afghanistan‘s good relations with the United States, but he won‘t succeed. We want to continue our friendly relations with the United States and the European countries."

Gates, who left Afghanistan shortly before Ahmadinejad spoke, said the United States wants Afghanistan to have good relations with its neighbors, but that they need to deal fairly with the Karzai government.



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