Afghans say, 'I told you so' after WikiLeak papers point to Pak military's support for Taliban

Pakistani, American, British and European propaganda machines have been so effective in covering up the true situation in Afghanistan that Afghan joy some truth is finally emerging in the Western mainstream media about Pakistan's designs on Afghanistan will shock many: If the Afghans think this way of Pakistan's government, why do the U.S. and other ISAF parties keep trying to ram Pakistan down Afghanistan's throat?

Afghans React to Leaks With Jubilation

By Maria Abi-Habib
Wall Street Journal
July 26, 2010

The mood among Afghans over leaked U.S. documents outlining Pakistan’s collaboration with the Taliban wasn’t one of surprise Monday but jubilation.

For many Afghans, it was an “I told you so” moment after lawmakers have pointed to Pakistan for nearly a decade as a main source of support for the Taliban.

But what Afghan President Hamid Karzai does with this moment is what matters most, say parliamentarian Shukria Barakzai and Gen. Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the defense ministry. “This is a golden opportunity for Karzai. He can now say ‘we told you all along’ to NATO and demand more support and funding,” Mrs. Barakzai says.

Mr. Karzai’s faith in the U.S.-led war here is wavering and his confrontational approach to Pakistan has been ditched for softer words of late. Afghan officials say Mr. Karzai is trying to forge a better relationship with Pakistan, worried about coalition forces withdrawing from Afghanistan while the Taliban insurgency strengthens.

But the leaked documents, which show the U.S. is aware of Pakistan’s support to the Taliban, may see Mr. Karzai return to his hard-line approach by bolstering his past claims of Pakistani interference, lawmakers say.

The documents, lawmakers and cabinet ministers hope, will also publicly embarrass the U.S. and force them to take a tougher approach with Pakistan after donating billions of dollars in exchange for Pakistan’s help in the war on terror.

“Everyone here knows that a lot of U.S. aid money for Pakistan to build schools or hospitals never gets delivered, but goes to work against the U.S. in Afghanistan,” Mrs. Barakzai said.