Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday admitted his Western-backed administration was unable to deliver justice to the people.

Led by the US, the international community has pumped billions of dollars into Afghanistan since the Taliban's Islamist regime was toppled in a 2001 invasion, and NATO has 130,000 troops defending Karzai's government.

"No doubt there has been lots of progress in governance, in delivering service to the people. The government, the parliament and the courts have better capabilities compared to 10 years ago," Karzai said in a speech as he inaugurated an association of Afghan women judges.

"But are we in the place that the people desire, are we in the place to heal the pains and suffering of the Afghanistan people in a way that the people desire? No. The reason that the people of Afghanistan in the villages and across the countryside, (even) in the cities, still seek justice through the traditional method is because the government neither has the ability to provide that justice nor can it be addressed on time. And sometimes - I hope it's only sometimes, not most of the times - instead of getting justice, they are getting injustice."

AFP