Exclusive: Afghan Warlord Talks Resistance

Notorious Terrorist Tells CBS News About Evading Capture And What He Thinks Of George Bush

(CBS)  From remote mountains in northeastern Afghanistan, one of the country's most notorious terrorists has attacked U.S. troops and evaded capture for nearly seven years, CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports.

Afghan warlord Gulbeddin Hekmatyar spoke exclusively to CBS News about the state of the insurgency in Afghanistan, in this interview smuggled out of his secret hiding place.

"The resistance is spreading in all directions," he said through a translator. "It is becoming stronger and more powerful,"

Hekmatyar was once embraced by the United States as a freedom fighter - part of the mujahedeen resistance against the Russian occupation of the 1980's.

Now he's a U.S. enemy, accused of leading an insurgency that has killed American soldiers and destabilized Afghanistan.

Today, he lives on the run, hunted by the U.S. military.

"Although I am confined to one bunker and a village, which is under the threat of American war planes all the time, I sleep very peacefully at night, while George Bush cannot sleep in White House without the help of sleeping pills," he said through a translator.

Hekmatyar mocks President Bush as a war monger and blames him for Iran's meddling in Afghanistan. He says the Iranians are pouring money and weapons into the fight that's destroying his country.

"Iran trespassed into our territory [into Afghanistan] and established military posts in very sensitive areas on our side of the border," he said.

The failure to stop people like Hekmatyar is one of the reasons several thousand additional U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan. But he claims American boots on the ground are only prolonging the resistance.

Hekmatyar offered an ominous warning for Afghan security forces: "Our fighting now is against those hired Afghan soldiers whom the Americans have placed in the frontline to fight us."

Nearly seven years after that fight began, one of America's top enemies in Afghanistan remains as determined as ever.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The original Web description on this story mistakenly misrepresented how the exclusive interview with Afghan warlord Gulbeddin Hekmatyar was conducted. In fact, correspondent Lara Logan submitted written questions and Hekmatyar responded on videotape.

[trishab4]

Re: "WHAT A STUPID BA$****! WHAT IS HE FIGHTING AGAINST? WHO THE F WOULD FIGHT AGAINST THE AMERICANS? WHY WOULD ANYONE FIGHT AGAINST FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY BROUGHT BY AMERICA? THIS DUDE IS RETARDED!"

Posted by darnedsocks

Thanks for the comedic relief.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by FeelFree4U at 09:20 PM : Jun 16, 2008

-FF, I guess he did not understand your satiric comment! LOL!

[dobbershome]

Kill em'' all with extreme prejudice !!!

[tburzio]

tomorr, tune in when CBS news interviews Adolf Hitler and gets his thoughts on the death of Franklin Roosevelt.

[ken1dall]

I''ll bet this guy endorses B Hussein Obama.

[bluestardad]

YES AND JAMES BAKER THAT REPUBLICAN STALWART! DEFENDED THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE 911 VICTIMS FAMILIES!

HANG IN THERE REPIGS!

FRIEND ONE DAY DOUBLECROSSED THE NEXT!

[watcher269-2009]

Maybe we should elect John Hussein McCain to Rescue America from these soulless Republican warlords. After all - they just want total, unquestioned power - wow - just like republicans!

Go John Hussein McCain! Go!

[putney1968]

Just wondering, guys, why you continue to employ an anti-american witch like laura. Now that her al quaeda buddies in iraq are being put out of business, here comes the trollop again with a cute bedtime story out of afghanistan promoting the heroic jihadic cause. She''d better not be too close when the predator shoots a hellfire missle up Mr Hekmatyar''s rear end.

[lovegetpeace]

Hey zgomer,
Kill this warlord and 10 commanders will come out competing for the promotion within 24 hours. He and neither is Osama Bin Ladin are not the root cause of hater for America - you.

The greatest military power in the World cannot eliminate the weakest military power in the World.

[flagship-usa]

Cool stuff. Here we have a group, (combatants) believing in fundamental; if not biblical ideologies, defending their land from hostile insurgents (that would be us). The Afghanistan resistance has destabilize the whole country and has been able to evade capture by the U.S. forces. Making the U.S. military miserable and impotent. As Americans, we have always routed for the little guy, or the underdog: through out our history. There is no reason why we should not continue to do so. There is no reason to believe that America will not triumph over our enemies. Although; we have to look at this as a sport. It''s too bad we can not commercialize this war and sell it as such. We need to sell this war for what it has become, a sport. I admire both sides, am deeply encouraged by their commitment to participate in this time honored tradition. How masculine our men are, when called upon to defend our country and our king. I am moved by there effort and encouraged by their acts of bravery.

[brianbwb-2009]

"After the war his forces during the Afghan civil war were largely responsible for the destruction of over 70% of Kabul and the deaths of 50,000 civilians." Posted by shingles1

And of course the millions he got from the CIA had absolutely nothing to do with it, right?

[brianbwb-2009]

"Do you think Bin Laden''''''''s people are all sitting around saying,..." Posted by dogsoul

Nope. They are asking, "Hey Bin, did you cash that CIA check yet? It''s payday tomorrow, y''know..."

To which Bin Laden replies, " Cheney just t-t''d it, I got it right here, I''m on my way to the bank right now."

[shingles1]

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is NOT a nationalist leader ''valiantly'' standing up to an occupation.

Hes a scumbag opportunist who doesn''t give a cr*p for Afghanistan, only for himself. Look him up. In 1970 when he was still a young student he killed a student rival, in 1986 he killed two American journalists and then blamed it on the Russians, he''s been a major drug trafficker for years, etc. During the 80''s, when the CIA was giving him hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight against Russia, he started attacking and killing other Mujahideen leaders and forces in order to better position himself for after the war. After the war his forces during the Afghan civil war were largely responsible for the destruction of over 70% of Kabul and the deaths of 50,000 civilians.

If there''s any guy, besides bin Laden and Zawahiri, who should be ''taken out'' - this guy is it.

[dogsoul]

Dear stupid liberals - in the course of history, there have been & will continue to be many occassions where we are forced to have dealings, even alliances with entities & individuals in order to secure a common goal.... think about the liberal alliance with radical Islam - do liberals like terrorists? No, but they''''ll gladly join forces with radical Islam in order to defeat a common foe in the Republican party.

Do you think Bin Laden''''s people are all sitting around saying, ''''....um, ya KNOW Binny - we joined UP with the Americans against Russia.... how ''''bout THAT Binny? Huh? Huh?" Of course not...

But liberals don''''t operate in the world of reality - it''''s all about soundbites, snippets, slogans, mantras & dogma....

[brianbwb-2009]

"Hey Nazi, Not too late for you and hungry1968 to get over there and help your buddies defeat the Americans. I''''ll pay for your plane tickets!" Posted by hillaryin012

We have all heard that one before, of course your ticket money is on the shelf over there, right next to Saddam''s WMDs.

At any rate, the Afghanistan fighters don''t need help, they chased out the mighty Soviet army, and they will do the same to our children.

Pity that the war mongers in the US still haven''t learned from Vietnam to Somalia, to present day Afghanistan, that you cannot defeat a determined people protecting their own land.

[usmcvn2]

But,but, but.....Bill got a BJ in the White House!!!

[notblue]

This warlord must be a registered Democrat, heard his message before on these posts.

[johnpatrick9]

I there are any homegrown bushiies out there willing to take a bullet in Afghanistan or Iraq be my guest and take your sons and daughters with yo. Put your hypocritical mouths aside and put your bodies "on the line." Tired of you turds willing to send others where you would not go. Come quickly November to end these 8 years of nightmarish waste and death.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Notorious Terrorist Tells CBS News'' Lara Logan About Evading Capture And What He Thinks Of George Bush

Hekmatyar was once embraced by the United States as a freedom fighter - part of the mujahedeen resistance against the Russian occupation of the 1980''s.

Now he''s a U.S. enemy, accused of leading an insurgency that has killed American soldiers and destabilized Afghanistan."

How does one go from being a "freedom fighter" to being a "terrorist"?

When the occupation forces you fight against change from Russian to American.

[usmcvn2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dryBNYaj1sA

[terrorislami]

Posted by MCVet at 07:14 AM : Jun 17, 2008

if you don''t believe me, then you sir are worse than Hitler.
www.dailygut.com/

Willie: Swing Heil! Swing Heil, Peter! Swing Heil!

Swing Kids (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108
265/quotes

right mcNUT,,,