Hamid Karzai: “We are a state that was weakened by years of destruction and war and interference.”

At a security summit in London, Afghan President Hamid Karzai described his plan to reintegrate Taliban fighters into a law-abiding society if they promise to renounce violence.

The risks are that Afghanistan will go back into the hands of terrorists, into chaos, into despair. And we are not going to allow that.

Terrorism was hurting us way before Iraq or September 11. And how do we fight them? How do we get rid of them, other than going after them?

It may be 5 years before the Afghan Army is ready to take on insurgents and that it will be at least 15 years before the Afghan Government can bankroll a security force strong enough to protect the country from the threat of insurgency.