In an interview set to air Sunday on CNN during “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai told host Fareed Zakaria the announcement President Barack Obama made on Thursday night about troop reductions was a welcome one.
“The number of troops that he has announced to be withdrawn this year and the rest, next year, is a sign that Afghanistan is taking over its own security and trying to defend its territory by its own means. So we are happy with the announcement. As for the number of troops, we have no opinion on that,” Karzai said.
Karzai added although the situation on the ground in Afghanistan wasn’t ideal, it has improved.
“Regardless of what the security situation in Afghanistan is, it is the responsibility, it is the job of the Afghan people to defend their country,” Karzai said. “Having said that, I can confirm to you today — and I’ve had this confirmed by the local means, not by governmental means or the means of NATO – that security in parts of the country has improved, that life is better now.”