- We'll do well!

News. “We took the lives of people who couldn't defend themselves. They didn't know we were there. It felt unfair and morally wrong. "

This is what a colonel lieutenant says in the book On our behalf. Soldier stories from Afghanistan (Aschehoug), written by KrF politician Malin Stensønes and released on Wednesday. Norwegian soldiers reveal their killings. Now the Norwegian retreat has started, 11 years after the invasion.

For the past four years, literature-educated Manizha Bakhtari has been Afghanistan's ambassador to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The former editor is stationed in Gange-Rolvs gate in Oslo, but Ny Tid meets her during a women's political seminar in Kristiansand. She warns Norwegians against believing that Afghans will not "manage" without the help of Norwegians.

- ISAF has brought major changes, but we can not ask the international community to stay longer in Afghanistan. Securing our country is our responsibility. We believe in Afghan leadership and ownership, and now is a good time. We will not lose support after 2014, we have cooperation agreements with the USA, Great Britain, Germany. Now we will soon sign a cooperation agreement with Norway, which will support us until 2017. We will certainly face obstacles and problems, but that does not mean that we will collapse, Benghazi says to Ny Tid.

- But the X-factor in planning for the future is the Taliban. Who are they? In an interview with Ny Tid in 2010, you referred to them as by-products of foreign influence. Do you still see it that way?

- This is the most difficult question we face. We do not have an accurate definition of the Taliban. Are they just local rebels, international rebels, or are they al Qaeda? We have started a negotiation process with the Taliban who are Afghans and not belonging to Al Qaeda. We try to convince them to come to us if they accept our constitution and our human rights values. We have not come far. Thousands of Taliban have stopped putting down their weapons, but we have not come to terms with their leadership. Negotiations continue anyway, every day our Supreme Council makes progress, but they do it slowly.

- Could European and American forces have been less attacked if the military presence had been accompanied by several measures such as mediation and development projects?

- After 2001, the ideas they had about the country were very different from now. But after a while everyone realized that the plan was not so good. Afghanistan's problems could not be remedied by building more military bases. The causes of the problems came from outside.

International terrorism is not something Afghans have invented alone. The international community was not aware that this was a regional problem and that they needed to talk to our neighbors. Now there are many negative comments from Europeans and Americans, saying that nothing will change after 2014. But this destroys the hope for the Afghan people. That's a bad sign. We experienced this many years ago when Mujahedeen conquered the country.

With that kind of propaganda they took over the country very easily. We need to create a more positive environment, says Bakhtari.

Author and lecturer

She has previously served as Chief of Staff of Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, as well as a lecturer at Kabul University. Bakhtari has also published two journalist books, as taught there, as well as a book on Afghanistan's satire writing.

- A Norwegian chief of staff, Sverre Diesen, has said that "the military is the shield and the aid organizations are the sword in this war". Could the relief organizations have better results if they worked without military protection?

- Yes, if the support came to Afghanistan without military presence, then it would be much better. In my view, civilian assistance and civilian projects are as important as military activity. I am optimistic about the future of Afghanistan after 2014, and in my opinion, we are able to secure the country. Of course, we can't expect magic solutions. We will have problems, but we are still able to manage, says Bakhrati.

Despite the country being burdened with poverty, there have been signs that Afghanistan may be heading in a positive direction: According to the Department of Education, there were less than 1 million students at the school in 2002, almost no girls. In 2012, there are 9 million school students, 37 per cent are girls. Teacher salaries are ten times higher, and the country has trained 150.000 teachers, every third woman.

Calling for other pictures

More than 100.000 students of both genders study at the universities. According to Save the Children, child mortality has dropped from 200 deaths per 1000 newborns to 149.

- If you compare with 2001, you will find a great success story. Afghanistan has evolved a lot. We have 30 TV channels, free media and freedom of speech. Average income every day, and health services have improved, says Bakhtari.

- But NOAD says that Norway's more than NOK XNUMX billion has led to few changes in welfare. Where's the money going?

- Corruption and poverty are still a problem. But the resources our government has are far less than the international community uses. They also spend the money on projects we don't need. In one case, the money was spent on information work in a village where no one had food. People do not need to know why they should attend human rights workshops: they need food and income. There is also corruption in the government, everything is not working in a country that has been at war for 30 years. Magical solutions will not change Afghanistan in one day, one year or ten years. The problem is deeply rooted. We need time to change the people's mentality and the country's basic structures.

- As a former lecturer in journalism in Kabul, how do you view media coverage in Norway?

- Norwegian media cover Afghanistan very well, they constantly publish news and reports on the country. But sometimes one sees that positive news does not come out, such as which schools are established in Maymana. Why not read about young Afghan girls attending university? These are modern girls, with Iphone, claws on the internet and in the basket. Norwegian media often report violence against women and men with beards and women in burka. At the same time, we have rich people, and thousands of young people have taken education abroad and are back to build their homeland. Why can't we report on such brave youth? Norwegian media should report on both sides, to show the Norwegian people that our aid systems have led to major changes in Afghanistan, concludes Bakhtari. ■

(This is an excerpt from Ny Tid's weekly magazine 19.10.2012. Read the whole thing by buying Ny Tid in newspaper retailers all over the country, or by subscribing to Ny Tid -click here. Subscribers receive previous editions free of charge as PDF.)