Ex-Afghan Foreign Minister Says Help Needed to Defeat Taliban

Despite allegations of irregularities in last year's elections, "Hamid Karzai is recognized as president of Afghanistan, and you have to deal with that," the country's former foreign minister and 2009 presidential candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, said at a May 24 Newsmaker press conference.

Abdullah withdrew from a second round of the elections after the Electoral Complaints Commission disallowed a number of questionable ballots, most for Karzai.

Abdullah said Afghanistan is doing its part in the fight against the Taliban but cannot succeed without help.

"The international community must do its part, too," he said.

He said a golden opportunity to defeat the Taliban was missed, and that in the past few years, they have gained momentum.

Asked if he was disappointed that he was not accorded the attention on his current U.S. visit that Karzai was earlier in the month, he said he was invited as a private citizen by "private groups and American legislators," not the Obama administration.