Washington, Nov. 18 : A senior Afghan opposition figure has warned that his country will in all likelihood plunge into civil and regional war if the United States does not leave a residual force of 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the country after 2014.

“The state will disintegrate” and Afghan security forces will break into factions, the Washington Post quoted Mohammad Hanif Atmar, a former minister in the government of President Hamid Karzai, as saying.

He added: “It is the perfect scenario for a proxy-led civil war among regional players including Pakistan and Iran.”

A “significant part” of Afghanistan, he said, would be “controlled by insurgents.”

Karzai fired Atmar as interior minister in 2010, ostensibly for security lapses that allowed insurgents to attack a loya jirga, or nationwide assembly, being held in Kabul.

A favorite of U. S. officials, Atmar recently helped found “Truth and Justice,” a multi-ethnic political party with a reformist agenda that hopes to challenge both Karzai and the current leading opposition group, “Change and Hope,” headed by former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.

In remarks at the Washington-based Center for Security and International Studies, Atmar painted a darker picture of the current state of the Afghanistan war than has the Obama administration.

Atmar said he saw no evidence that the Taliban and affiliated groups were moving toward the negotiating table.

“Frankly speaking, it doesn’t work,” he said, adding that there was little chance of a negotiated peace as long as Pakistan continued to allow insurgent sanctuaries inside its border. (ANI)