Karzai: War Not Getting at Terrorism Cause

Afghan President Hamid Karzai points to a journalist for asking a question during a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, June 22, 2006. Afghanistan's president called al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri "the enemy of the Afghan people" and blamed him Thursday for his country's massive suffering. "He is first the enemy of the Afghan people, and then the enemy of the rest of the world," said President Hamid Karzai during a press conference. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
By TINI TRAN Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- One of America's closest allies says the war on terrorism fails to address its root causes.

Experts agreed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying Friday the major military offensive against the Taliban will not fix Afghanistan's larger crises - a lack of reconstruction and jobs, a booming drug trade, and a weak government.

"You won't win unless you can convince people that progress is being made," said Marvin Weinbaum, a former State Department analyst now a scholar at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

"One of the things we recognize is that we have failed to improve on the development side, especially in the south. In the areas with the greatest need, we have not gotten the reconstruction that was necessary."