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Addressing the National Youth Peace Jirga in Kabul, Karzai accused the Western countries of portraying a gloomy future for Afghanistan after 2014 as an excuse to keep their troops in the war-torn country, according to Afghanpaper.com.

The Afghan leader described the West’s claims of fraud within the Afghan government as a psychological war.

“Accusing the Afghan government of corruption and incompetence in establishing an authoritative government is a psychological war that has been waged against us, but we understand what they do,” Karzai said.

Karzai also signed a strategic partnership deal with his American counterpart on May 1, which extends the US presence in Afghanistan to another decade beyond 2014.

The deal was dismissed by a group of Afghan lawmakers, who took a swipe at Karzai, saying the US is seeking its own interests.

The Afghan lawmakers said the United States has paid no attention to rebuilding the Afghan army in the past 11 years and has so far avoided providing it with advanced weaponry, including modern planes and helicopters.

The US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the Asian country, despite the presence of about 130,000 US-led troops there.

AO/MA/AZ