Afghan ambassador: 'Deadline should be based on reality'

Afghanistan's U.S. ambassador on Sunday defended the country from charges of corruption and criticized the withdrawal date of American troops as counter-productive.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Said Jawad told CNN host Candy Crowley that Afghan leaders have been prosecuting corruption and that U.S. taxpayer money is not being abused.

"There's a lot of misinformation," Jawad said. "Yes, there is waste. There is corruption. But a lot of it has nothing to do with the Afghan government. It is the contracting system."

Jawad also defended Afghan President Hamad Karzai as a "hard-working, sincere" leader despite charges of corruption.

"He is probably one of the very few presidents in that area of the world with less than $50,000 in his bank account," Jawad said. "There is no clear evidence of corruption by him or his family."

Crowley also pressed Jawad on the July 2011 date for U.S. troop withdrawals to begin, asking directly if the deadline was beneficial.

"Frankly not," Jawad said. "If you over-emphasize a deadline that is not realistic, you are making the enemy a lot more bold. You are prolonging the war. That deadline should be based on the reality on the ground."