US, UK losing Afghan war, says British scribe Ridley

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 2: Britain and the US are losing the war in Afghanistan, British Journalist and former Taliban captive Yvonne Ridley said today.

Ms Ridley, who was here to attend a Jamaat-e-Islami Hind function, said, ''The past has proved that winning a war in Afghanistan is not easy. The imperialists should have learnt from the past.'' ''There is no democracy in Afghan and the situation is very complex with both the Taliban and the Government claiming people's support in the country.'' On Kashmir issue, she said people's views should be endorsed before taking a final decision on border disputes.

When asked if she favoured the Taliban, Ms Ridley said the Taliban practised a different ''brand'' of Islam that she was not following.

On her ten-days captivity, Ms Ridley said ''on the sixth day, a cleric came to me and asked me to embrace Islam. I told him I would read the Koran if I was let free.'' ''After I was released on humanitarian grounds, I read the Koran and decided to embrace the religion. I had embraced the pure and simple Islam and not the Taliban or Sufi Islam.'' she added.

UNI