KABUL - President Hamid Karzai rejected that the situation in Afghanistan could worse as Iraq and dismissed the possibility of al Qaeda groups comeback in the country.

President Karzai was speaking during an interview with the BBC’s Lyse Doucet in Kabul.

In response to a question, whether what was happening in Iraq could happen in Afghanistan, the president replied, “Never, not at all.”

Karzai said al Qaeda linked groups had no presence in Afghanistan and there is regular dialogue between him and the Taliban group.

“There is even an exchange of letters, meetings, and desire for peace,” Karzai said, adding that, “[But they were] not able to bring peace on their own, just like I and the Afghan people and government were unable to bring peace on their own.”

Karzai insisted on continued international support as Afghanistan did not have the means to sustain itself.

This comes as UN experts in their latest report said al Qaeda  affiliates from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Uzbekistan are participating regularly in attacks on Afghan military forces and pose “a direct terrorist challenge” for Afghanistan, south and central Asia and the global community.

Afghan and international officials believe these Al Qaeda affiliated groups are unlikely to leave Afghanistan in the near future, which would keep them in the country as the US withdraws most of its troops, the experts said. (KP)