Foreign troops in Afghanistan complicate crisis

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi told the Islamic Republic News 
Agency recently that the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan will 
only further complicate the ongoing crisis.

He said that the constant foreign military presence in Afghanistan has led 
to adverse results and warned that "continuation of such policies only 
contributes to animosity among the people". 

Kharazi stressed the need for all nations to assist in efforts to help the 
war-weary Afghan people and said that Iran would send relief aid to the 
conflict-shattered country.

Some leaders of the Northern Alliance, now in control of the majority of 
Afghanistan territory, have openly rejected deployment of foreign troops in 
Afghanistan.

Meanwhile a Tajik Commander Major General Sukhrob Kasilov says that the 
fighting in Afghanistan would persist for a long time, especially in the 
regions south of Kandahar as Taliban forces are likely to wage a guerrilla 
war.

He said Taliban forces would retreat to the mountainous regions in a bid to 
preserve their effective forces in face of the fierce US bombing campaign.

He warned that the presence of foreign troops inside Afghanistan would lead 
to unfavourable scenarios as the people of Afghanistan have never allowed 
foreign troops to stay on their territory.