Pakistan’s President Zardari Says U.S., Allies Losing Afghanistan War

By Gregory Viscusi

Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said the U.S. and its allies are losing the war in Afghanistan because they failed to win local support and think too short term, drawing a rebuke from the U.S.

“The international community, of which Pakistan is a part, is losing the war against the Taliban because we have lost the battle for hearts and minds,” Zardari said in an interview with the Paris-based afternoon daily newspaper Le Monde.

“Military reinforcements are only a small part of the response,” Zardari said. “To win the support of the Afghan population, you must bring economic development and prove you can not only change their lives, but improve them.”

Pakistan’s role in the Afghan war came under scrutiny last week with the publication by WikiLeaks.org of leaked U.S. documents that suggest some U.S. military officials think elements of Pakistan’s intelligence services are secretly supporting the Taliban, a claim that Zardari has denied.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said U.S. President Barack Obama doesn’t share Zardari’s assessment of the course of the war.

“I don’t think the president would agree with President Zardari’s conclusion that the war is lost,” Gibbs told reporters at yesterday’s regular White House briefing. “The actions and the efforts that the coalition, international forces and American forces have taken over the last several months have very much the hearts and minds of the Afghan people at the forefront.”

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