Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security bloc seen as a counterweight to NATO's influence in Eurasia.
"The presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan has not only failed to ensure security but also resulted in innocent people dying in bombings by these forces. More than 100 Afghani women and children were killed in one village, while the groups NATO is targeting have not been restricted but rather have spread their influence," Ahmadinejad said in Dushanbe, Tajikistan's capital.
Afghanistan, where the hard-line Islamic Taliban regime was overthrown in a 2001 U.S.-led campaign, has seen a rise in violence in recent months. The 52,000-strong coalition forces seem unable to prevent extremist influence from spreading throughout the country.
The Iranian president accused some Western countries of preventing regional integration and fueling tension between neighbors by championing specific political groups in countries and encouraging them to join military agreements.
He said such measures helped Western powers spread their political and military influence and prevented regional development.
"Unfortunately, their unilateralist activities are continuing," Ahmadinejad said.
Commenting on the situation in Iraq, the Iranian leader said the crisis persisted, yet the country remained under occupation.
Since U.S.-led coalition forces invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Middle East country has sunk into sectarian violence, characterized by some politicians as civil war.
Ahmadinejad also said the existence of nations was threatened by blind extremism and terrorism, and called for adequate collective efforts to counter drug trafficking.
The SCO comprises China, Russia, and four Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia and India hold observer status in the organization.
