CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer talked to Ahmed Wali Karzai for over an hour at his fortified compound in central Kabul. It is where he hosted most guests, dignitaries, petitioners and friends, including the close associate who shot him dead. Here is an excerpted transcript of an interview with Karzai in July 2010.
On the best way to fight:
Whenever we give more time to the Taliban they reorganize and they have a good opportunity to recruit more people. And for that I think a military operation is extremely important.
The only supply the Taliban has is the village. For them village is their supply line. They can hide in the village. Everything comes from the village… because they terrorize the community. They impose their will on them and whenever they want they have to deliver, "You must give it to us, under the name of religion, under the name of jihad."
So the population has no choice.
On killing to win:
I personally believe you have to become very strong. You cannot reason with them, because they go to any extreme to achieve what they want. You have to hit them hard, as hard as you can because they have no mercy for no one.
On winning:
We are winning. We are winning and Taliban is no longer a movement that can threaten the stability of Afghanistan. They can create problems. You know I'm not worried sitting in Kandahar with my family that the Taliban will take over. That's a major major thing.
On power (and why he has a lot of it):
Power, well I'm very close to the people. Listen to them. I learned from my father and brother how to live with the tribes, how to talk to them, how to treat them with respect. This is why I have more support with the people. I earn it. I work hard. I don't go on big vacation. I stay here 12 months. Maybe 15 days a year I can leave Kandahar. And I'm always here day and night. I listen to their problems.
This is the major thing that I am doing is to keep these things calm. You don't remember any major rioting or any major protest in this province and that's the reason. We have very very good relations with the tribes. We talk to each other before something bad happens.
On his share of critics:
Who doesn't? Even people are against prophets. So I'm a human being. I live here. I probably made mistakes myself. I don't deny it.
There is always politics. There is always opposition. Everybody want to be in the front. Unfortunately some people they spread rumours. They stab you in the back and they come up with gossip and stories.
My problem is never a legal problem. It's always a political problem. It's always people spread rumours, misinformation. This is the case.
Rumours AWK is on the CIA payroll:
International media they are doing it for some political reason. But they are not setting a good example for Afghans. Lies always lies and people know this is lie.
You see I meet with you. You are a foreigner. I meet with Canadians. I meet with Americans. I meet with everyone who comes here. We are partners in this war you know. I am one of the partners.
You know, usually people working for intelligence community they are trying to make things batter (corrects) BAD, but I'm trying to make things BETTER for our people.
So probably you can accuse me of many things. But that's not the story. I meet with everyone. I help everyone. We work together.
On the Taliban:
The leadership of the Taliban is not alone. The leadership is working with al Qaeda and foreigners. You see, all Chechens, Arab, Uzbeks, Pakistanis, they come here. We see them daily. I mean, we have contacts with the villagers. And they tell us. They say we didn't understand their language, what language they were speaking. So it's not only Afghan Talib.
I am the most-wanted by them. They don't want my presence. They want always to kill the head of the tribes.
Everyday I get a report of somebody who wants to kill me.
