KABUL - President Hamid Karzai said on Friday the US and NATO could not rescue the region from the reign and threat of terrorism that continued to haunt his nation.

In his address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Karzai said the spread of terrorism and extremism would not only threaten Afghanistan and Pakistan’s stability, but the entire region.

A statement issued from the Presidential Palace said Karzai called on regional counties to continue assisting Afghanistan, which he said was ready to cooperate with the SCO in areas of peace and security.

A stable and united Afghanistan was in the larger interest of the region, which he said could help Afghanistan achieve that goal.

The president also mentioned progress his country had made in various spheres of life over the past decade, saying the Afghans did not want to return to the past misfortunes.

He said the Afghan endured three decades of wars and terrorism and extremism continued to threaten their lives.

“Regional countries should not expect from the US and NATO that they will rescue the region from the threat of terrorism,” Karzai said, insisting counting terrorism was a collective responsibility of regional states. (Pajhwok)