Washington, Sep 24 - Today, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) expressed his concern about the relationship being re-established and strengthened between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and, who Rohrabacher believes “is the biggest radical cut throat terrorist in the region,” Gulbuddin Hekmaytar.

“The U.S. State Department is not aggressively opposing this engagement with a most brutal of terrorists,” said Rohrabacher.

“The Obama administration policy of negotiating with the Taliban and supporting Karzai’s relationship with terrorist fanatic Gulbuddin Hekmaytar’s followers, such as Commander Faizan Faizanullah and his Hezb-i-Islami militia, has done nothing to deter green on blue attacks and the latest deadly suicide bombing in Kabul. This short sighted and ill-conceived strategy has led to more attacks.

“The Obama administration continues to ignore the facts about Karzai; he was the Taliban Ambassador-Designate to the UN in 1996. He worked closely with the Taliban in the late 1990s supporting them as a ‘positive’ force. He has continued to be an apologist for the Taliban, claiming in many interviews while President that there were no more than a 100 bad Taliban.

“Karzai has also incorporated supporters of Hekmaytar into his government. His current Chief of Staff, Karim Khoram, formally advised Hekmaytar. Karzai’s Minister of Economy, Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, is also a former Hekmaytar supporter. Commander Faizan Faizanullah, a former Hezb-i-Islami militia leader, is also being armed by Karzai. Another former Hezb-i-Islami member, Omer Dawoodzai, is Karzai’s ambassador to Pakistan. Furthermore, Wahidullah Sabawoon, is a senior advisor to Karzai who holds the rank of minister and Hekmeytar’s former chief of intelligence.

“The U.S. continues a policy which empowers extremists, not our friends in the Northern Alliance, which represent the majority of Afghanistan’s ethnic groups. It is twisted logic to send American money and resources to Gulbuddin Hekmaytar’s Hezb-i-Islami, while those who fought to overthrow the Taliban in 2001 are marginalized, ignored and insulted.

“Karzai’s attempt to partner with Gulbuddin Hekmaytar is an alarm bell to those who are trying to build a modern, non-terrorist, state in Afghanistan.”

Rep. Rohrabacher is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations which held a hearing on June 6th titled, “Investigating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Afghanistan.”

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