Gingrich tells Afghans to 'figure out how to live their own miserable lives'

Washington, Feb 28 (ANI): Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has said that it is impossible to 'fix problems in Afghanistan', and added that Afghans "have to figure out how to live their own miserable lives'.

"We're not going to fix Afghanistan. It's not possible. These are people who have spent several thousand years hating foreigners," Gingrich said.

"And what we've done by staying is become the new foreigners. And this is a real problem," he added.

Gingrich said the problems the US faces in the Middle East are too big and complicated for military solutions.

"There's some problems where what you have to do is say 'You know, you're going to have to figure out how to live your own miserable life because I'm not here, you clearly don't want to hear from me how to be unmiserable," ABC News quoted him, as saying.

Gingrich also criticized President Barack Obama for apologizing to Afghanistan for the burning of copies of the Koran that had sparked off mass protests recently.

He said Obama should not have apologized since two Americans were killed.

Gingrich also took a swipe at Afghan president Hamid Zarzai, saying his 'government is playing us for fools'.

"My prediction is, the Karzai government is playing us for fools. So my view is that we need to be, we need to have a president who is prepared to tell the truth about who is trying to kill us," he added. (ANI)