Hamid Karzai 'has lost belief with US strategy in Afghanistan'

Sources close to Amrullah Saleh, the former head of intelligence services who resigned last weekend, claim Mr Karzai has lost confidence in the ability of Western forces to protect Afghanistan, and rather believes turning to Pakistan is the best chance of ending the Taliban insurgency. According to The Guardian, Mr Saleh, who was highly regarded within western circles, said Mr Karzai had long though this, but he became convinced around the time of the Afghanistan election which was blighted by fraud. "There came a time when [Karzai] lost his confidence in the capability of the coalition or even his own government [to protect] this country," an aide told the newspaper. Mr Saleh is also said to be concerned about Mr Karzai's attitude towards Pakistan, which has softened in recent months.His comments came as Robert Gates, the US defence secretary said support for the war in Afghanistan would evaporate before the end of the year if there is no significant breakthrough in the fight. Mr Gates said "stalemate" and the loss of "young men's lives" would not be tolerated unless the nations leading the eight-year battle against insurgents can show they were "making some headway" in the next six months. The pressure for success in Afghanistan was building as the death toll mounts with almost 300 British fatalities and more than 1,100 American, including four yesterday.Speaking in London, the US defence secretary warned that people should be prepared for a "high level of violence" in what he expected to be a "very difficult summer"."The one thing none of the public will tolerate is the perception of stalemate in which we're losing young men." Mr Gates said he expected to see signs of progress "by the end of the year" but cautioned that there were "no illusions" about quick victories. "In virtually all of the coalition countries, the publics are going to expect to see some progress this winter, some sign that we are moving in the right direction. "If we are making progress and it's clear that we have the right strategy then I think the people will be patient," Gates said.