Washington: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is losing support from many Afghans and some foreign governments as a Taliban-led insurgency escalates and his government fails to stem endemic corruption, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
"The president had a window of opportunity to lead and make difficult decisions, but that window is closing fast," the Post cited an unidentified foreign military official as saying.
"President Karzai is the only alternative for this country, but if he attacks us, we can't help him project his vision," the official said adding, "And if he goes down, we all go down with him."
On Thursday, Karzai had complained about what he called a lack of full cooperation from his foreign allies.
He said that US-led forces had adopted the wrong approach in Afghanistan and urged the international community to provide more help in training and equipping the Afghan army and police.
The Post said that Karzai had bristled at international criticism that greeted his recent naming of 13 police officials, some of whom have been accused of human rights abuses.
Foreign officials and analysts said that the appointments were intended to create ethnic and political balance and were not based on professional qualifications, according to the newspaper.
"He's making decisions for short-term stability that go against his own interests and the long-term interests of building the country," an unnamed European official told the Post.
"As a result, international support for him is eroding and it could become a real rift at the worst possible time,” he added.
Several European governments are expressing serious concerns about Karzai's leadership, the Post reported.
"There is an awful feeling that everything is lurching downward," a Western diplomat told the newspaper adding, "Nearly five years on there is no rule of law, no accountability."
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