Immediately, the Taliban issued a statement on Friday condemning Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. That’s perfectly understandable. After all, they are labeled as US enemy. The group explains that Obama has ‘boosted troop numbers and continued the aggressive policies of his predecessor rather than bring peace to Afghanistan.’

“We have seen no change in his strategy for peace. He has done nothing for peace in Afghanistan. We condemn the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for Obama. When Obama was elected president, we were hopeful he would keep his promise to bring change. But he brought no change, he has continued the same old strategy as Bush. He reinforces the war in Afghanistan. He sent more troops to Afghanistan and is considering sending yet more. He has shed Afghan blood and he continues to bleed Afghans and to boost the war here,” says Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid by telephone from an undisclosed location.

On the other hand, Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai whose government is supported by the US and NATO allies believes that the award is ‘appropriate.’ According to Karzai’s spokesman Siamak Hirai, “His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at global level and global peace make him the appropriate recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Obama is currently weighing his options as he reviews the troop request from his military commanders regarding 40,000-60,000 additional troops to be sent to wartorn Afghanistan. The surging death toll of foreign soldiers in Afghanistan is one of the major reasons why Obama has been stalling troop surge in the country.

Via AFP-Yahoo! News