Western neglect of Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal brought about a growth of terror in the country, Afghan President Hamid Karzai believes. This in turn led to both 9/11, and terror attacks in Russia, he insists.

­Hamid Karzai confirmed international forces, American in particular, will be present in Afghanistan following the official troop withdrawal of 2014 till at least 2024. Their presence will be based on a “security agreement to be signed within a year”. The Afghan president stressed there will be no private security firms or mercenaries present in the country, and “an agreement on that has already been made with the US”.