Victory in Afghanistan ‘impossible’: Gorbachev

MOSCOW - Former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev has said that Afghanistan risks turning into another Vietnam, and has told the US-led NATO military alliance that victory in that country is impossible. orbachev apparently knows what he is talking about as he was the one who pulled Russian troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 after a 10-year war.

“Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. Obama is right to pull the troops out. No matter how difficult it will be,” he told the BBC.

Gorbachev added that as the Soviets prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan, the US was training militants, “the same ones who today are terrorising Afghanistan and more and more of Pakistan”.

He said that because of this, withdrawal would be more difficult.

His comments came amid news that President Dmitry Medvedev will attend a NATO summit next month, to discuss plans for Russian forces to return to Afghanistan.

NATO officials said Russia had agreed to sell helicopters to Afghanistan and provide training. (ANI)