KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai admitted his government and the US-led Nato mission have failed to provide security to Afghans, in an interview with the BBC marking 10 years since the start of war.

“We've done terribly badly in providing security to the Afghan people and this is the greatest shortcoming of our government and of our international partners,” he said in an audio clip of the interview released by the BBC.

“What we should do is to provide better, more predictable environment of security to the Afghan citizens, and that the international community and the Afghan government definitely have failed (to do),” he added.

The Afghan president, who took office shortly after the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime, said the Taliban insurgency could not be defeated unless its sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan were eliminated.

“That problem, the sanctuaries in Pakistan, will not go away unless the government of Pakistan cooperates with Afghanistan, unless the international community cooperates in a meaningful, effective way to have it removed.”