Novelist Hosseini urges patience in Afghanistan

A day after returning from a visit to his homeland, Hosseini told a Washington forum Thursday that Afghans are beginning to see the United States as a force for stabilization in their country. He urged patience, noting how far the country has come.

Regarding the debate about whether the United States should “lighten its footprint” in Afghanistan, Hosseini said that maybe the United States was too ambitious in the beginning.

“This is a time of rethinking our strategy, not to give up,” Hosseini said. "The Afghan government was built from ashes -- ashes from displacement, war and corruption. It’s going to take time.”

Hosseini, a naturalized U.S. citizen, spoke at a Migration Policy Institute forum. The author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" serves as a goodwill envoy of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

While discussing issues such as repatriation of refugees and displaced people, he mentioned the struggles Afghan people face in addition to military conflict.

“Afghanistan is in a war with poverty just as much as a war with the Taliban and al-Qaida,” Hosseini said. “Fifty percent of the Afghan people make less than $1 a day and 40 percent have no access to clean water.”

However, he also listed signs of progress.

In Kabul, he said, there has been an increase in commerce and enterprise and, because of wireless technology, business in Afghanistan is being revolutionized.

“It would be a disservice to the troops and activists who worked for improvement to not recognize progress,” Hosseini said.