CIVILIAN EXPERTS Nov 21, 2009
Sending more American civilians to Afghanistan is part of President Barack Obama's strategy review as he seeks to turn around the eight-year war and improve the performance of the Karzai government while reining in a culture of corruption ... In one scruffy meeting room, a picture of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was inaugurated for another term on Thursday, is pasted on the wall. (AlertNet)
* Karzai wants local forces to take over Nov 21, 2009
Karzai wants local forces to take over ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday said he was determined that the Afghan army should be built up so it can take over responsibility from foreign troops for securing the entire country within five years ... Speaking after being sworn in for a second term as president, Karzai said he wanted Afghanistans security forces to be improved in quantitative and qualitative terms. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Thorpe moves to scuttle doping claims Nov 21, 2009
"The spokesman could not say how long the agency's examination would take.Thorpe, 24, retired from competitive swimming last November but was dismayed to learn his test results had been leaked to the French newspaper L'Equipe, which reported the swimmer's test produced abnormally high readings for testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), both products figuring on the list of banned substances.ASADA is alleged to have picked up the irregularity on the sample but, in another test, found the... (Yahoo News -- Swimming)
US sets marker on Afghan corruption Nov 21, 2009
He was speaking a day after President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term after a controversial election. Western leaders have put pressure on Mr Karzai to deal with corruption and remove former warlords from government. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Karzai's promises please Clinton Nov 21, 2009
Clinton pleased with Karzai's promises - CNN.com ... Clinton pleased with Karzai's promises ... At inauguration, Karzai vowed to tackle corruption, drug trafficking. (CNN)
Minister: Taliban can be defeated Nov 21, 2009
He says Karzai is making fighting corruption a top priority over next five years ... Ghani says for Karzai to deal with corrupt officials, kinship and ruling are not compatible ... (CNN) -- The war in Afghanistan is winnable, and corruption will be fought, Interior Minister Hanif Atmar told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, as President Hamid Karzai was being sworn in for a second five-year term in Kabul. (CNN -- World)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Nov 21, 2009
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's promise to stamp out corruption has come up against its first test with the revelation that indictments against five high-ranking politicians on charges thought to range from embezzlement to money-laundering need only his signature to proceed ... Debate about the risks faced by the international community in supporting President Hamid Karzai s corrupt Afghan government regularly omits the people that matter most: Afghans ... Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was... (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Suicide bomber kills 16 in Afghanistan Nov 21, 2009
19: As he was sworn in for a new term, Hamid Karzai pledged to tackle corruption ... The attacks came a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai took the oath of office for a second term amid escalating violence across the country. (MSNBC -- International)
Govt to install new diplomat in Kabul Nov 21, 2009
The federal government is sending a new ambassador to Afghanistan to observe the Karzai government's promised crackdown on corruption ... He said the appointment of Mr Foley was timed to follow the inauguration of Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's president on Thursday ... In his inaugural speech, Mr Karzai promised to tackle corruption and oversee a "professional cabinet", while setting a five-year goal for the Afghan military to take over from international forces. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
U.S. softens approach to Karzai Nov 21, 2009
U.S. softens approach to Afghanistans Karzai ... President Hamid Karzai speaks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday ... Clinton arrived in Afghanistan to attend Karzai's inauguration. (MSNBC -- International)
Coaxing Karzai Nov 21, 2009
BBC News - Will Hillary Clinton's gamble on Karzai pay off ... Will Hillary Clinton's gamble on Karzai pay off ... US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a political survivor who has repeatedly reinvented herself, used her visit to Kabul to appeal to Hamid Karzai - a leader whose image lies in tatters - to seize a window of opportunity and in essence reinvent himself by seriously tackling the corruption that plagues Afghanistan. (BBC News -- Americas)
Afghans want Obama to pressure Karzai Nov 21, 2009
We were pleased when the U.S. finally spoke out against fraud and corruption by supporters of Hamid Karzai in the initial round of balloting in Afghanistan's presidential election ... told Karzai is unknown, but it seems likely that he communicated President Barack Obama's sentiments, telling Karzai that if he refused to accept a runoff election, international support for his government would collapse ... It was a miracle for the Afghan people when Karzai conceded to the runoff. (Juneau Empire)
Afghan official escapes attack, 4 guards killed Nov 21, 2009
Sayaf, an ethnic Pashtun, supported the incumbent Afghan president Hamid Karzai during this year's presidential election. Editor. (Xinhuanet, China)
Time for Karzai to make good on his promises Nov 21, 2009
KABUL: In dwelling on the need to combat corruption, to talk to the Taliban and to transfer control of policing Afghanistan from foreign troops to the country's own security institutions, Hamid Karzai did enough to appease the US and its allies, who regarded his inauguration speech as a key test of the newly reappointed President. US officials say Karzai has been given six months to clean up his government. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Obama Seeks to Reset Ties with Karzai Nov 21, 2009
Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged to control security within five years during his second inaugural address ... Has corruption within Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai's government caused the Taliban to exist ... When a team of senior U.S. officials led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday for a dinner meeting, they had little indication of what Afghan President Hamid Karzai planned to discuss, or whether questions about... (CBS News -- US)
Higher Taxes on Wealthy May Be Needed to Cover Afghan War Cost, Levin Says Nov 21, 2009
Karzai won re-election by default when his main challenger dropped out of a planned runoff after the first balloting in August was marred by allegations of fraud. Levin said that while he wanted to be hopeful that Karzai would take steps to weed out corruption, Im also skeptical. (Bloomberg -- US)
U.S. to hold Karzai to vow to end corruption Nov 21, 2009
The United States is developing a set of benchmarks to ensure that Afghan President Hamid Karzai keeps a promise delivered at his inauguration to fight corruption and inefficiency, U.S. officials said ... Taking the oath of office Thursday, Karzai, whose reputation has been battered by corruption allegations against close associates, pledged to fire any official connected to drug trafficking and "end the culture of impunity and violation of the law." ... Her trip appeared meant to both support... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Taliban tap into Afghanistan's roots Nov 20, 2009
The prospect of better government Insurgents present an alternative to the government of President Hamid Karzai. They build a shadow government as they move into a district, and win local support as comparatively honest administrators and judges. (Asia Times Online)
Analysis: U.S. works with and around Karzai Nov 20, 2009
Karzai is inaugurated to 2nd term as president after allegations of fraud marred the countrys second-ever presidential election ... WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has a simple-sounding strategy for the problem that is Hamid Karzai: Work with the Afghan leader and around him at the same time ... But Washington is also looking for ways to direct aid, expertise and influence to local and provincial governments far from Karzai's compound in Kabul. (MSNBC -- International)
Pakistan has nothing to fear from India: Manmohan Nov 20, 2009
If this is not checked, this could destabilise our country," the Prime Minister said. Responding to a question, Singh said al Qaeda and Taliban are chips off the same block. Though he agreed that the regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not perfect, he asked the international community to rally behind him now that he has been re-elected. "President Karzai's regime is not per 00004000 fect. But you cannot transform Afghanistan overnight. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Afghan president sworn in to second 5-year term Nov 20, 2009
KABUL (AP) -- Afghanistan will control its own security within five years and prosecute corrupt officials, President Hamid Karzai pledged Thursday in an inauguration speech made under intense pressure to shed the cronyism and graft that marked his government's first term. Karzai also said he wanted private Afghan and foreign security companies to stop operating in the country within two years. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Scientologists' volcanic reply Nov 20, 2009
The friendly relationship between the two politicians - who were both in Kabul yesterday for the swearing-in of Hamid Karzai for a second term as Afghan President - echoes that between o 00004000 f the former British foreign secretary Jack Straw and Clinton's predecessor, Condoleezza Rice. Rice even once let Straw have her pull-out bed on a flight to Baghdad while she slept on the floor. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
An encouraging sign Nov 20, 2009
(Registration is required to view news articles)brainerddispatch. Web Search powered by yahoo. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
Senate candidate walks across Connecticut Nov 20, 2009
I'm walking through Bridgeport and I challenge anybody to tell me these kids are getting the education they deserve and I'm unwilling to build schools overseas in Kabul when we should be building here in Connecticut," he answered. He said there was no magic solution to job creation. It would start with better pre-natal care, continue with better schools, include having more relationships between businesses and universities, such as there is in Boston and the research-triangle area of... (Fairfield Minuteman, CT)
Obama-Clinton Foreign Policy: Act One Nov 20, 2009
Hamid Karzai "won" re-election as president of Afghanistan but the voting was tainted and corruption at the highest levels in Kabul remains a huge concern. More positive results have been registered with Russia where changes in America's missile defense plans may have brought Moscow and Washington closer on several key issues and in Burma, where senior American officials have met with leaders in the ruling junta and with Aung San Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, even though she continues to... (CBS News)
Karzai sets ambitious, reassuring goals in inaugural Nov 20, 2009
Karzai is upbeat at inaugural ... President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated yesterday in Kabul as resentment grows among ordinary Afghans still waiting for things to improve in their war-torn country ... KABUL - Tainted by a flawed election and allegations of festering corruption in his government, President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated yesterday for a second term, promising to remedy the country s problems and to have the Afghan Army assume full control of security within five years. (Boston Globe)
REFILE-Q+A-What is Afghanistan's loya jirga; what does it do? Nov 20, 2009
Nov 20 (Reuters) - After his inauguration on Thursday, re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced he would organise a "loya jirga" -- a large assembly of Afghan leaders. Loya jirgas have traditionally been a forum to discuss and reach a consensus on important political issues. (AlertNet)
ANALYSIS-Pakistan worries over new U.S. Afghan strategy Nov 20, 2009
The Taliban draw most of their support and recruits from Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group, many of whom feel alienated by a Kabul government seen as dominated by ethnic Tajiks even though President Hamid Karzai is Pashtun. "Military strategy alone can't correct policy-level errors," said a senior Pakistani security official. (AlertNet)
Afghanistan's Karzai under pressure to deliver on promises Nov 20, 2009
As polls showed popular support for the war plunging, leaders including US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen began browbeating Karzai to prove his worth. Washington has increasingly expressed concern about Karzai's reliability as a US ally and effective head of state, but with Thursday's speech, he seems to have passed the first test ... Western officials have given Karzai six to eight months to show solid progress before... (Channelnewsasia.com)
Karzai under pressure Nov 20, 2009
Newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Kabul ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai gets down to business on Friday after being sworn in for a second term as the world watches to see if he can deliver on his pledges to clean up his government and work to bring peace to his war-ravaged nation ... Karzai won plaudits for his inauguration speech on Thursday from Western officials including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said it was an... (iAfrica.com)
Karzai Vows to Improve Afghan Security, Battle Corruption in Second Term Nov 20, 2009
Karzai Vows Strides in Security, Corruption Fight (Update2) - Bloomberg ... Karzai Vows Strides in Security, Corruption Fight (Update2) ... Karzais second inaugural speech, delivered before dignitaries including Secretary of State , attempted to answer points of discord with international donors. (Bloomberg -- Canada)
The President's Timetable For Retreat Nov 20, 2009
Maybe this is Obama's way of warning the Afghans and their president, Hamid Karzai, that America can't wait forever for them to set up an honest, reasonably competent government. But Obama could have picked up the phone. (Investors Business Daily)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Nov 20, 2009
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's promise to stamp out corruption has come up against its first test with the revelation that indictments against five high-ranking politicians on charges thought to range from embezzlement to money-laundering need only his signature to proceed ... Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president today, pledging to fight graft and take control of his country's security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election left his image in ruins.... (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Two U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan Nov 20, 2009
As Hamid Karzai begins a new term as the Afghan president, why should the U.S. trust him. Christiane Amanpour gets answers on "," Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.. (CNN -- World)
What we want... Nov 20, 2009
BBC News - Karzai inauguration: Views from Afghanistan ... Karzai inauguration: Views from Afghanistan ... Hamid Karzai has been sworn in as Afghan president for a second elected term. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Afghan suicide bomber hits market Nov 20, 2009
The attack comes a day after President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term as the country's elected leader. The bomber struck in an area where heavy trucks were being loaded with goods to be taken to the province of Herat, police said. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Analysis: Karzai's 'new season' Nov 20, 2009
BBC News - Karzai's promise of a 'new season' for Afghanistan ... Karzai's promise of a 'new season' for Afghanistan ... President Karzai's inauguration was attended by many Western dignitaries. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Afghan leader 'must show results' Nov 20, 2009
BBC News - Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged to deliver results ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged to deliver results ... Western leaders have urged Hamid Karzai to deliver tangible improvements in Afghans' lives after he was sworn in for a second presidential term. (BBC News -- South Asia)
* Karzai says he will tackle graft, take over local security Nov 20, 2009
Karzai says he will tackle graft, take over local security ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday he would tackle corruption, adding that his countrys security forces should be ready to take over responsibility of unstable areas in three years ... Karzai also called for a loya jirga, a traditional grand assembly, which under Afghanistans Constitution can take precedence over all government institutions including the presidency itself. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Editorial: The price of Afghanistan troop buildup Nov 20, 2009
Instead, the mission seems to have become propping up the government of Hamid Karzai. The corruption and incompetence of that government is well-documented. (Wakefield Daily Item, MA)
Clinton: U.S. will hold Karzai to promises of reform Nov 20, 2009
Clinton was in the capital Kabul to attend the second inauguration of President Hamid Karzai, who has been under stiff pressure to eliminate the graft that is deeply rooted in his government ... "What we are looking for in the second term of President Karzai is an effective government that respects the rights of the people of Afghanistan, delivers services to them, responds in a transparent and accountable way to the concerns of the people," Clinton said at a news conference at the heavily... (Florida Today)
Your views: Letters to the editor Nov 20, 2009
The media have reported the Karzai regime benefits from the illegal drug trade, holds aid money and sells American arms to Taliban insurgents ... Isnt it foolish to fight extremists the Karzai system wont. (Florida Today)
Karzai walks tightrope in inaugural address Nov 20, 2009
(11-19) 04:00 PST Kabul - -- Under intense pressure to fix his corrupt government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to strike a balance in his second inaugural speech today: answer international demands for reform while appeasing his political allies who returned him to power ... Karzai begins a second term facing an increasingly violent insurgency, an administration crippled by corruption, high unemployment and an impoverished population frustrated by eight years of war and few, if any,... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Clinton Sees Encouraging Karzai Signs as U.S. Plots Afghanistan War Plan Nov 20, 2009
Clinton Sees Encouraging Karzai Signs as U.S. Plots War Plan - Bloomberg ... Clinton Sees Encouraging Karzai Signs as U.S. Plots War Plan ... Karzais inaugural speech yesterday was a visionary outline of what hed like to see happen by the time he finishes his second term, Clinton said in an interview before she left Kabul after a two-day visit. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
ANALYSIS - Obama walks tricky line on Afghan 'exit strategy' Nov 20, 2009
Afghanistan's Taliban militants, fighting to unseat the U.S.-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, may also take hope from the suggestion that U.S. military commanders are planning a way out -- although analysts say this may be too simplistic a reading of Obama's intentions. "It depends on what the president means about the exit strategy. A fixed date for withdrawal would be a bad idea, but that is not necessarily what he means," said Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert at the Council... (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Karzai promises to take graft and drugs seriously Nov 20, 2009
KABUL: Hamid Karzai was yesterday sworn in for a second five-year term as Afghanistan's president, assuming leadership of a war-battered nation and a government that the West is demanding be cleansed of corruption ... In his speech, Mr Karzai said his country's security forces should take the lead in tackling the insurgency and should be able to take control of security in the next five years ... Clad in his trademark cape and lambswool hat, Mr Karzai strode into the palace, greeted by a... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Obama signals an endgame in Afghan war Nov 20, 2009
Mr Obama gave only lukewarm support to Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, whose recent re-election was tainted by fraud and who has been widely criticised for failing to tackle rampant corruption. Mr Karzai was sworn in for a second term yesterday. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Motorbike bomber kills 12 in Afghan town Nov 20, 2009
A suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck an Afghan town on Friday, killing 12 people in the deadliest attack since President Hamid Karzai got down to the business of a second term. The attack in the capital of southwestern province Farah came the day after Karzai was sworn in for another five years, pledging to try to bring peace to the nation and take over security from foreign forces in five years. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Karzai sworn in as Kabul braces for Taliban raids Nov 20, 2009
AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has been sworn in for a second five-year term amid massive security in the capital Kabul ... Karzai has done nothing to reassure international workers that he is stepping up security,'' he said ... Mr Karzai was sworn in yesterday by the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Salam Azimi, before hundreds of guests and foreign dignitaries from more than 40 countries. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Afghanistan plea in war on opium Nov 20, 2009
Hamid Karzai has appealed for greater international support in tackling Afghanistan's growing drugs problem. The Afghan president made the call as he officially opened an international summit in Kabul aimed at tackling Afghanistan's illegal drugs trade. (Yahoo News -- Drug Trade)
Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials Nov 20, 2009
It is also America's; and Mr. Brown seems confident that when President Obama finally makes known the future dispositions of US arms in Afghanistan, the approach adopted by our two countries will be similar a counter-insurgency strategy aimed at bolstering the government of President Karzai and preventing al-Qaeda's return, on the coat-tails of the Taliban, to their former haven ... To ensure that Japan's financial aid will not be consumed by rampant corruption in the government in Kabul headed... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
13 killed in suicide bombing in W Afghanistan Nov 20, 2009
The attacks came one day after the incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for the second five-year term in the capital Kabul. In his inaugural speech, Karzai stressed to continue the national reconciliation policy for having durable peace in the country and called on armed opposition to lay down arms and resume their normal life. (Xinhuanet, China)
Death toll from a suicide bombing in west Afghanistan's Farah province Friday morning rose to 13 with 47 others wounded, said provincial governor Rohul Amin.• Roadside bomb kills 3 civilians, wound 3 in E Afghanistan Nov 20, 2009
The incident occurred one day after the swearing-in ceremony of incumbent President Hamid Karzai for his second five-year term in capital Kabul which was attended by VIPs including Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Taliban insurgents fighting Afghan government often planted mines on roads to target Afghan, U.S. and NATO troops. (Xinhuanet, China)
Karzai sworn in as Afghan president for 2nd term Nov 20, 2009
Karzai sworn in as Afghan president for second term _English_Xinhua. Karzai sworn in as Afghan president for second term ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai reacts during his inauguration as President in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2009. (Xinhuanet, China)
EU urges Karzai to turn commitments into action Nov 20, 2009
STOCKHOLM, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Thursday welcomed the commitments made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his inauguration speech and urged him to turn the commitments into action. Karzai and his new government must deliver "rapid and tangible results" on improved security and improved governance, decisive action against corruption and drug trafficking, economic growth, peace and reconciliation and increased stability through regional integration and cooperation, Sweden,... (Xinhuanet, China)
Two tough challenges wrestling Karzai's new administration Nov 20, 2009
KABUL, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The incumbent Hamid Karzai was sworn in as the president of the post-Taliban Afghanistan Thursday for the second term amid militancy escalation and stiff pressure to fight corruption. His administration's failure to check the alleged corruption during his first five-year has tarnished Afghanistan's image and sparked widespread criticism, prompting international community particularly Washington and London to warn of reviewing assistance if corruption is not curbed. (Xinhuanet, China)
Karzai makes big promises in inaugural Nov 20, 2009
KABUL - For his critics, President Hamid Karzai's inaugural speech Thursday struck all the right notes - sober pledges to get tough on corruption and strengthen his own security forces so foreign troops can start going home ... As he embarks on his second five-year term, Karzai faces a virulent Taliban insurgency and crippling corruption that has sown resentment among Afghans toward his administration - and toward the Western powers that have supported it for eight years ... A subdued Karzai, in... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Afghanistan President Karzai inaugural: promises of clean cabinet Nov 20, 2009
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai takes the presidential oath as he is sworn in by Afghanistan's Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi during Karzai's inauguration at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday ... Afghanistan Presidsent Hamid Karzai promised to tackle corruption in his inaugural speech on Thursday ... New Delhi - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai promised to crack down on corruption after being sworn in for his second term on Thursday. (Christian Science Monitor)
Karzai's inauguration and Obama's demand for action on corruption Nov 20, 2009
The Karzai inauguration came with promises to fight graft ... One possible motive for President Obama's long delay in announcing a new US strategy in Afghanistan may be this: He first wants to see tangible steps against corruption by President Hamid Karzai ... That has meant Mr. Obama had to wait well past the flawed Aug. 20 elections and then later Mr. Karzai's admission of massive fraud in the ballot count. (Christian Science Monitor)
Obama: Aim To Be On Path To End Afghan War Nov 20, 2009
Obama also declined to say he trusted Afghan President Hamid Karzai, offering praise to Karzai for holding his country together but saying: "He has some strengths, but he has some weaknesses.". "I'm less concerned about any individual than I am with a government as a whole that is having difficulty providing basic services to its people," Obama said in his latest blunt assessment of the Karzai government, whose competence is an essential part of a U.S. war effort now in its ninth year. (KSBW 8, CA)
Afghan leader Karzai vows to fight corruption Nov 20, 2009
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term on Thursday, vowing to combat corruption, bring security and reach out to his political rivals under Western pressure to restore legitimacy. Karzai took the oath of office as the US-led war stretches into a ninth year, leaving record numbers of soldiers and civilians dead and with Taliban control extending deeper into the country after an election mired in fraud ... In a wide-ranging speech, Karzai promised action on a... (Yahoo! Asia News)
Taming the mafia state Nov 20, 2009
Anti-graft pressure mounts in Afghanistan, as Hamid Karzai is again sworn in as president ... IT WAS no secret what the world wanted to hear from Hamid Karzai when Afghanistan s president was sworn in for a second term on Thursday November 19th: a commitment to get tough on corruption. (The Economist)
Clinton: U.S. Will Keep Pushing Afghan Gov't Reform Nov 19, 2009
Clinton arrived in the Afghan capital on the eve of President Hamid Karzai's inauguration, during which he will make a speech that many hope will outline concrete commitments to reform, helping the country move past a fraud-tainted election that undermined trust in the government ... Karzai, who won the election by default after his main rival pulled out of a runoff saying it was impossible for the vote to be fair, has often bristled at the intense international pressure he has come under over... (Newsmax)
Al-Qaeda chemical expert 'killed' Nov 19, 2009
Karzai sets Afghan forces target ... Hamid Karzai on force levels. (Yahoo News -- Terrorism & 9/11)
Afghan President Sworn In To Second Term Nov 19, 2009
Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan Will Take Control In 5 Years ... KABUL -- Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai promised Thursday to prosecute corrupt government officials and end a culture of impunity, speaking during an inauguration closely watched by the international community for signs that his administration is moving beyond the cronyism and graft of the past five years. (KIRO TV, WA)
