Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai (left) shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on October 4, 2011.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a wide-ranging agreement with India on Tuesday to deepen ties between the two countries, including to help train Afghan security forces, in a deal likely to irk Pakistan as tension grows in the region.
India is one of Afghanistan‘s biggest bilateral donors, having pledged about US$2 billion (RM6.38 billion) since the 2001 US led-invasion for projects from the construction of highways to the building of the Afghan parliament.
On a two-day visit to New Delhi, Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sealed a strategic partnership that spanned closer political ties to fighting terrorism. It signals a formal tightening of links that may spark Pakistani concerns India is increasingly competing for leverage in Afghanistan.
The agreement is one of several being negotiated by Kabul, including one with the United States, that are part of an Afghan bid for greater security as Nato troops head home.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai recognises that the United States is a friend and ally even as he warns that civilian casualties in Afghanistan risk making US-led troops appear to be an occupying force, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.
Gates, who spoke to reporters in Hawaii while en route to an Asian security conference, was reacting to Karzai’s statement yesterday that raids on Afghan homes in pursuit of insurgents are “not allowed” and his threat to take action if a spate of civilian casualties does not stop.
Karzai expressed anger over Nato air strikes on Sunday in southern Helmand Province that killed at least nine people, most of them small children.
Still haunted by its own disastrous war in Afghanistan, Russia is tiptoeing back into Kabul’s affairs ahead of a gradual withdrawal of Nato troops that could leave a dangerous power vacuum in what was once a traditional sphere of influence.
Moscow has refused to send troops to the war, which is becomingly increasingly unpopular as it drags into its 10th year, but it has backed drug raids, and increased support for Nato and local forces. It has also showed interest in business deals as it vies to boost its clout in Afghanistan.
Russia has welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai twice in the past 12 months, where he directly asked his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev for help with security.
The Taliban and President Hamid Karzai's government have started secret peace negotiations to end to the war in Afghanistan, the Washington Post has reported.
The newspaper quoted unnamed Afghan and Arab sources who believe the Taliban representatives are authorised to speak for the Pakistan-based Quetta Shura and its leader, Mohammad Omar.
Talks are only in the preliminary stages, according to the Post following inconclusive meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia that ended more than a year ago.
President Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omer declined to confirm or deny the report.
Peace overture: President Hamid Karzai
Training: An Afghan serviceman is taken through a replica village alongside a British soldier
Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a decree yesterday setting a deadline of four months to disband private security companies despite concerns by Washington over the plan.
The Pentagon called the deadline “very challenging” but said the United States would work with the Afghan government and seek to improve oversight and management of private security firms, long an irritant to Afghans.
“Obviously that is a very aggressive timeline and one which I think our forces and commanders as well as the State Department and (US) ambassador will be working with the government of Afghanistan to achieve,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
The US Embassy in Kabul said it supported the Afghan government’s intention to regulate such firms properly. “There are questions of implementation, however,” embassy spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during his visit to the Civil Service Institute in Kabul August 7, 2010.
Karzai speaks during his visit to the Civil Service Institute in Kabul August 7, 2010
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked US President Barack Obama to review how the war in Afghanistan is being conducted as civilian deaths continue to rise, Karzai’s office said today.
A statement issued by the presidential palace said Obama agreed in a video call to start talking about a review, which Karzai also proposed in a letter.
“The two presidents agreed that discussions regarding a strategic review of the more effective ways of fighting terrorism should begin,” the statement, written in Dari, said.
“The war on terrorism should not be won in the villages of Afghanistan, there should be a strategic review of the method of fighting terrorism,” it said, adding they also discussed the parliamentary election on September 18 and efforts to combat corruption.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, speaks with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the presidential palace in Kabul Afghanistan on Monday, July 19, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan, a day ahead of the International Conference on Afghanistan
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quresh gestures during a press conference, one day ahead of the International Conference on Afghanistan, Monday, July 19, 2010, in Kabul, accompanied by Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq.
The strategy sits for now on a table in a locked-down Afghan capital: Hand over security in all 34 provinces to the government by the end of 2014 — more than three years after President Barack Obama's date for the start of an American troop drawdown.
Kanzai ired US allied with comments with local leaders in Afganisthan.
Kanzai told tribal elders on Sunday that government officials should not let "foreigners" interfere in their work.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center, surrounded by his body guards walks through Kandahar city, south of Kabul,
The United States suggested on Tuesday it might cancel a meeting between President Barack Obama and President Hamid Karzai in the White House next month if the Afghan leader persisted with anti-Western comments.
Intensifying tensions between the two nations, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that a series of critical comments by Karzai was "troubling" and "confusing".
Pressed to say whether the May 12 meeting might be called off, Gibbs told reporters: "We certainly would evaluate whatever continued or further remarks President Karzai makes, as to whether that's constructive to have such a meeting."
Among comments that have angered his backers, Karzai accused embassies of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan last year and of seeking to weaken him. He told tribal elders on Sunday that government officials should not let "foreigners" interfere in their work.
Asked whether Karzai was still viewed as an ally of the United States after those comments, Gibbs replied: "Karzai is the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan."
Initially the Obama administration sought to play down Karzai's comments saying they were aimed at placating his domestic audience. But in recent days, Gibbs and others have taken a tougher line.
"We will not hesitate to ensure that the remarkable investment that our men and women are making is met with the type of governance that has to be in place in order to secure parts of a dangerous country," said Gibbs.
The White House earlier said it was frustrated on behalf of the American public, and invoked the sacrifice made by families who send their loved ones off to fight in the Afghanistan war.
There are more than 120,000 Western troops in Afghanistan, including more than 80,000 Americans, set to rise to 100,000 Americans this year.
Danger zone: A U.S. Marine dodges an IED blast in Afghanistan (file picture)
Ruper Hamer: Killed in a blast while embedded with U.S. Marine Corps
A British journalist was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan yesterday, the Ministry of Defence announced today.
Father-of-three Rupert Hamer, the Sunday Mirror's defence correspondent, died of his wounds at the scene north-west of Nawa.
The newspaper's photographer, Philip Coburn, was injured in the blast, which also killed a US Marine and an Afghan soldier.
Mr Coburn, who is in a serious but stable condition, and Mr Hamer, 39, were embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps when they were caught in the explosion.
They were accompanying a patrol when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Mr Hamer is the first British journalist to die during the Afghanistan conflict and the first correspondent to be killed in a warzone since ITN reporter Terry Lloyd in Iraq in 2003.
The journalist, who was known as 'Corporal Hamer' by colleagues, was making his fifth trip to Afghanistan when he died.
Since become the Sunday Mirror's defence correspondent in 2004, Mr Hamer had also covered the armed forces across the Middle East and central Asia, the Oman, Bahrain, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: ‘I was deeply saddened by this tragic news, and my heartfelt thoughts and sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of Rupert and Philip.
‘Their courage, skill and dedication to reporting from the frontline was incredibly important and ensured that the world could see and read about our heroic troops.
‘Their professionalism and commitment to our forces will not be forgotten.’
Coburn, 43, and Hamer flew to the region on New Year's Eve on a trip that was to have lasted a month, the Sunday Mirror said.
Hamer, who was married to Helen, had three children, aged six, five and 19 months.
He had worked for the newspaper for 12 years and colleagues paid tribute to a 'fine, fearless and skilled writer'.
Coburn has been at the Sunday Mirror for eight years, covering stories including Hurricane Katrina.
Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver said: 'Rupert believed that the only place to report a war was from the frontline, and as our defence correspondent he wanted to be embedded with the US marines at the start of their vital surge into southern Afghanistan.
'He left on New Year's Eve with photographer Phil Coburn, determined to be there from the start.
'He was a seasoned, highly-regarded and brave journalist who had reported from both Iraq and Afghanistan on many occasions.
'It was his fifth trip to Afghanistan, and he had forged friendships with a number of the soldiers serving out there.'
He had organised a special Christmas newspaper produced for the troops packed with messages from loved ones, which was flown out by the RAF three weeks ago, she said.
'He was a fine, fearless, and skilled writer who joined the paper 12 years ago,' she added. 'Affectionately known as Corporal Hamer in the office, he was a gregarious figure, a wonderful friend who was hugely popular with his colleagues.
'Above all he was devoted to his wife Helen and their three young children.
'Our thoughts and condolences are with Helen, his father Nick, who he was so close to, and the children he was so proud of.'
She described Coburn as a 'consummate all round journalist and brilliant photographer'.
She added: 'He and Rupert made a dedicated team, working together around the world, sacrificing personal comfort countless times to record the reality of wars.
'We wish Phil a speedy recovery and send our warmest wishes to his partner and family.'
Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth said: 'Both Rupert Hamer and Phil Coburn accompanied me on my most recent trip to Afghanistan.
'I got to know them well and I was impressed by their hard work and professionalism.
'My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of both men at this extremely distressing time.
'As a defence correspondent, Rupert Hamer was in regular contact with press officers at the MoD.
'I know they had great respect for his work and the news of his death has been met with great sadness amongst us all.
'In recent weeks we worked closely with Rupert on a special Christmas edition of the Sunday Mirror, containing messages for deployed personnel from their loved ones.
'The paper was very well received by troops on the ground and its success is testament both to Rupert's hard work and his understanding of service personnel.
'The sacrifice of service personnel is well documented and rightly respected, but this news demonstrates the risks also faced by journalists who keep the public informed of events on the frontline.'
A U.S. Army cadet reads a book entitled 'Kill Bin Laden' as he waits with other cadets for U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver his address
Another U.S. Army cadet reads an apporpriately titled book before the speech this morning. IN the book, author Dave Grossman investigates the psychology of killing in combat
President Obama speaks in Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy last night
Anti-war demonstrators stand in front of Thayer Gate at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last night
Ranks of soldiers at West Point bow their heads in silence before they listen to President Obama
Meeting the man: Cadets line up to shake hands with their president following his speech
Barack Obama is photographed with cadets after he spoke in Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy this morning
Line up: Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates (second right) joins Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Administration Mike Mullen, and General David Petraeus
U.S. soldiers patrol through the heart of Kabul, Afghanistan, this morning. Many Afghans were still sleeping when President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to the war
Sergeant Joseph Delair of Syracuse, New York, fingerprints and photographs men from a nearby village at the Sahowza District Centre this morning. The men are registered and checked in the system to make sure they are not wanted as an enemy combatant
Commons dispute: Gordon Brown and David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions. The Tory leader accused the Mr Brown giving 'false expectations' to British troops over the start of a pull-out from Afghanistan
Gordon Brown was today accused of allowing the public to be misled about when British troops would start withdrawing from Afganistan.
As Barack Obama unveiled plans to send an extra 30,000 U.S. soldiers to the country, the Prime Minister clashed with David Cameron over Britain's military strategy.
Mr Cameron told MPs the Prime Minister at the weekend had said he was looking at transferring at least five Afghan provinces to Afghan control by the end of 2010, including parts of Helmand.
'This was widely interpreted as a commitment to start the withdrawal of British troops in 2010. It's important we don't give false expectations to British troops or mixed messages to anybody else.
'Can you clarify whether you would expect British troop numbers to start reducing in 2010 or 2011.'
The question came after Barack Obama unveiled an ambitious strategy to begin withdrawals from the war-torn country in 2011.
Mr Brown said he had made it absolutely clear that 'there was no question of us withdrawing our troops until the point that we were sure that the Afghans could take over security control themselves'.
He told Mr Cameron: 'Even if one or two parts of a district or a province are transferred in 2010, we will continue to have our troops in Afghanistan at that point.
'By 2011 there will be over 300,000 troops - Afghan, American, British and coalition troops - and that is the point at which the balance between Afghan forces and British, American and coalition troops, will start to change.'
Last night, in a highly-anticipated address, the U.S. leader pledged to bring the conflict to a 'successful conclusion' by introducing the surge as quickly as possible.
But while increasing the total American presence in the region to almost 100,000 by next summer, Mr Obama warned that the commitment would not be open-ended.
He set out plans for Afghan security forces to be trained to a sufficient level to enable the US to start pulling troops out as early as July 2011.
The president also appealed to the America's allies to step up their own commitments in the region, insisting: 'This is not just America's war.'
His strategy was endorsed by Mr Brown, who was briefed by his U.S. counterpart in advance of the speech.
The Prime Minister, who announced this week that the UK's military commitment would be increased to more than 10,000 troops, said: 'I call on all our allies to unite behind President Obama's strategy.
'Britain will continue to play its full part in persuading other countries to offer troops to the Afghanistan campaign.'
The Prime Minister said that the London conference on Afghanistan that he has called for January 28 would be a 'vital next stage'.
'It will offer an opportunity to agree a process to transfer provinces and districts to Afghan control; to make decisions on new civilian co-ordination in Afghanistan; and to support commitments by President Karzai on Afghan reforms to build up the Afghan army and police, and local governance; and to secure further support from international partners,' he said.
Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said he was 'delighted' with Mr Obama's announcement.
'It's what all of us who have been involved in the operation in Afghanistan have assessed is required if we are to resource a plan to deliver the strategy which we have been holding to for some time now,' he said.
He said the US was providing three-quarters of the 40,000 troops Gen McChrystal said were necessary. Britain had provided 1,200 more from the point at which the US general made his assessment.
'They didn't ask for more and we didn't say 'no',' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Sir Jock dismissed suggestions that British troops were set to take a reserve role behind American forces in Helmand.
'I do expect the command structure in the south to change for the simple reason that that's where the main fight is and, therefore, that's where Nato is concentrating its effort, quite rightly,' he said.
'But that means that the span of command within the regional command south area is now going to become too large and I think Gen McChrystal is going to have to divide it in some way to retain a sensible span of command.'
But he added: 'I expect the the British contribution to remain centred in Helmand for some time to come at the very least.'
This morning's announcement came more than three months after the White House received a report from the US's top commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal recommending about 40,000 extra soldiers were needed.
Mr Obama, in a speech to a military academy in West Point, New York state, indicated he had opted to go with fewer, but will deploy troops in a quicker time-frame that previously thought.
The accelerated schedule will see some additional troops in in place by Christmas, it has been suggested, with the rest deployed by next summer.
The new strategy consists of three core elements: a renewed military effort; a civilian surge to reinforce positive action, and an effective partnership with Pakistan, Mr Obama said.
He acknowledged the difficulty allied forces face in reversing the fortunes in the flagging conflict.
'Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards,' he said, adding that the Taliban had gained momentum while the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remained a safe-haven for al Qaida.
That was why it was in America's 'vital national interest' to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the president added.
'These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan.'
This withdrawal will commence within 18 months, he pledged.
Mr Obama added that the US's military aim in the region remained the same: 'To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda.'
To achieve this, the US will swell troop numbers in the region while also training an Afghan national army and police force, he added.
He said: 'The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 - the fastest pace possible - so they can target the insurgency and secure key population centres.
They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight.
'And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans.'
He also pushed other members of the coalition to up their presence in a bid to end the conflict, uphold Nato's credibility and bring security to the wider international community.
The president said: 'Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead. Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully.
'For what's at stake is not simply a test of Nato's credibility - what's at stake is the security of our allies, and the common security of the world.'
Gen McChrystal, commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, said: 'The Afghanistan-Pakistan review led by the president has provided me with a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task.
'The clarity, commitment and resolve outlined in the president's address are critical steps toward bringing security to Afghanistan and eliminating terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global security.'
Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: 'Barack Obama has staked his presidency on the roll of the military dice.
'This is his war now and his presidency will be defined by the outcome.
'Success will depend on the capacity of the (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai government to fulfil its obligations.
'Obama will be dependent on Karzai stepping up to the plate.'
There has been criticism of the time Mr Obama has taken to reach the decision he announced today.
But Louis Susman, the U.S. ambassador to London, said the president would make a decision of this importance unless his 'heart, his head and his gut' were in it.
'I think the three months was necessary to make a proper analysis of the right strategy to go in and end this war,' he said.
'The issue was never whether we make 1,000 troops or 30,000 troops - it doesn't make any difference if you don't have the right strategy.
'And I think he felt after 10 meetings and fully discussing this with all constituencies of our government that this was the right decision.'
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that many US senators had 'concerns' but predicted that Congress would be 'substantially united' behind the plans.
Air Force Techincal Sgt. Phllip M. Huaser from Salina, Kansas, assigned to the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device(CIED) route clearance unit wears a silver Mjolnir, the Viking God Thor's hammer as he guards Highway One near the town of Maidan Shar, Wardak province, Afghanistan Monday Nov. 30, 2009.
US Army soldiers assigned to the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device(CIED) route clearance unit, pull security under a destroyed bridge while waiting for the arrival of a team of army engineers that will place a temporary bridge after insurgents detonated a large explosive device under the bridge, near the town of Maidan Shar, Wardak province, Afghanistan Monday Nov. 30, 2009.
Georgia state National Guardsman, Sgt. Scott A. Millican, right, from Statesboro, GA., and Air Force Techincal Sgt. Phllip M. Huaser from Salina, Kansas, both part of the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device(CIED) route clearance unit look up as US fighter jets fly overhead near the town of Maidan Shar, Wardak province, Afghanistan Monday Nov. 30, 2009.
Georgia state National Guardsman, Sgt. Scott A. Millican, from Statesboro, GA., assigned to the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device(CIED) route clearance unit, pulls security under a destroyed bridge while waiting for the arrival of a team of army engineers that will place a temporary bridge after insurgents detonated a large explosive device under the bridge, near the town of Maidan Shar, Wardak province, Afghanistan Monday Nov. 30, 2009.
New strategy: Barack Obama
Talks: Obama discussed his plans with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, front
Extra troops: American President Barack Obama will pledge an extra 34,000 U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan to join the existing 71,000 currently fighting
New infusions of U.S. Marines will begin moving into Afghanistan almost as soon as President Barack Obama announces a redrawn battle strategy, a plan widely expected to include more than 30,000 additional U.S. forces.
Obama will try to sell a skeptical public on his bigger, costlier war plan Tuesday by coupling the large new troop infusion with an emphasis on stepped-up training for Afghan forces that he says will allow the U.S. to leave.
Obama formally ends a 92-day review of the war in Afghanistan Tuesday night with a nationally broadcast address in which he will lay out his revamped strategy from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He began rolling out his decision Sunday night, informing key administration officials, military advisers and foreign allies in a series of private meetings and phone calls that stretched into Monday.
Military officials said at least one group of Marines is expected to deploy within two or three weeks of Obama's announcement, and would be in Afghanistan by Christmas. Larger deployments wouldn't be able to follow until early in 2010.
The initial infusion is a recognition by the administration that something tangible needs to happen quickly, officials said. The quick addition of Marines would provide badly needed reinforcements to those fighting against Taliban gains in the southern Helmand province, and could lend reassurance to both Afghans and a war-weary U.S. public.
The war escalation includes sending 30,000 to 35,000 more American forces into Afghanistan in a graduated deployment over the next year, on top of the 71,000 already there. Obama's announcement is the culmination of more than three months of debate over whether and how to expand U.S. military involvement in a war that has turned worse this year despite Obama's previous infusion of 21,000 forces.
But the numbers of fresh troops don't tell the whole story, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. "It's what their mission is," he told ABC's "Good Morning America." "We're going to accelerate going after al-Qaida and its extremist allies. We'll accelerate the training of an Afghan national security force, a police and an army."
In Kabul, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the new head of a U.S.-NATO command responsible for training and developing Afghan soldiers and police, said Tuesday that although the groundwork is being laid to expand the Afghan National Army beyond the current target of 134,000 troops, to be reached by Oct. 31, 2010, no fixed higher target is set.
There is a notional goal of eventually fielding 240,000 soldiers and 160,000 police, but Caldwell said that could change.
"Although that is a goal and where we think it could eventually go to, it's not a hard, firm, fixed number," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
He indicated that one reason for avoiding a hard-and-fast commitment to those higher numbers is the expected cost. So his orders are to reach the targets of 134,000 soldiers and 96,800 police by next October. He intends to hold annual reviews, beginning next spring or early summer, to determine whether the notional higher targets of 240,000 soldiers and 160,000 police — for a combined total of 400,000 by 2013 — are still the right goals for Afghanistan.
"If you grow it up to 400,000 — if you did grow all the way to that number, and if it was required to help bring greater security to this country — then of course you have to sustain it at that level, too, in terms of the cost of maintaining a force that size," he said. Nearly all the cost of building Afghan forces has been borne by the U.S. and other countries thus far.
Obama also will deliver a deeper explanation of why the U.S. must continue to fight more than eight years after the war's start, emphasizing that Afghan security forces need more time, more schooling and more U.S. combat backup to be up to the job on their own. He will make tougher demands on the governments of Pakistan and, especially, Afghanistan, and will provide a fresh path toward disengagement.
Gibbs also promised that Obama would lay out an endgame scenario for U.S. involvement. "We want to — as quickly as possible — transition the security of the Afghan people over to those national security forces in Afghanistan," he said Tuesday. "This can't be nation-building. It can't be an open-ended forever commitment."
With U.S. casualties in Afghanistan sharply increasing and little sign of progress, the war Obama once liked to call one "of necessity," not choice, has grown less popular with the public and within his own Democratic party. In recent days, leading Democrats have talked of setting tough conditions on deeper U.S. involvement, or even staging outright opposition.
The displeasure on both sides of the aisle was likely to be on display when congressional hearings on Obama's strategy get under way later in the week on Capitol Hill.
Obama was spending much of Monday and Tuesday on the phone, outlining his plan — minus many specifics — for the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China, India, Denmark, Poland and others. He also met in person at the White House with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
A briefing for dozens of key lawmakers was planned for Tuesday afternoon, just before Obama was set to leave the White House for the speech against a military backdrop at West Point.
The Afghan government said Tuesday that President Hamid Karzai and Obama had an hourlong video conference. Obama was also going to speak with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
In Afghanistan, rampant government corruption and inefficiency have made U.S. success much harder. Obama was expected to place tough conditions on Karzai's government, along with endorsing a stepped-up training program for the Afghan armed forces along the outline recommended this fall by U.S. trainers.
That schedule would expand the Afghan army to 134,000 troops by next fall, three years earlier than once envisioned.
Military officials said the speech is expected to include several references to Iraq, where the United States still has more than 100,000 forces. The strain of maintaining that overseas war machine has stretched the Army and Marine Corps and limited Obama's options.
The United States and the European Union on Tuesday sent their congratulations to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his re-election, saying they are looking forward to working with the new Afghan government.
"We welcome the conclusion of the electoral process, and we congratulate President Hamid Karzai on his reelection. We look forward to the formation of a new government, representing the will of the Afghan people," said a common declaration issued after the 2009 U.S.-EU Summit, which was held in Washington.
"We look forward to working with the new Afghan administration and renewing efforts to promote good governance, respect for human rights, gender equality and democratic development," said the declaration.
In their White House meeting, President Barack Obama, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of the Swedish EU Presidency discussed situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Obama administration, who vowed to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and its extremist allies, has been reviewing an overall strategy of the war in Afghanistan, and considering whether to send additional troops to the war-torn country.
General Stanley McChrystal, top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, warned that the United States would lose the war against al-Qaeda and Taliban without rapidly sending up to 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. By the end of this year, according to previous deployment plans, there will a total of 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. ---
Afghan election officials declared Hamid Karzai president for another five-year term after scrapping a planned election run-off following the withdrawal of his only rival, Abdullah Abdullah. [ID:nSP199298]
The declaration followed intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic activity to prevent a one-man contest on Nov. 7, but leaves Karzai weakened and under more pressure than ever to reform a government seen by many in the West as corrupt and incompetent.
KARZAI'S LEGITIMACY
The legitimacy of Karzai's administration is under a serious cloud after a flawed election process marred by widespread fraud in the first round in August and uncertainty, bordering on farce, before the run-off was cancelled.
Installed after the Taliban were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001, Karzai can now expect to come under increased pressure to reform an administration seen by many in the West as riddled with corruption.
"The credibility of the Karzai government is not going to be simply decided by this election, it will now be decided by the actions the president takes over the coming days and weeks," a Kabul-based Western official told Reuters.
"The first test will be the formation of his cabinet. If he is serious about reform we need to see that," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke to Karzai on Sunday, after Abdullah withdrew, about the need to tackle corruption and "getting the right people into government".
Brown said Karzai must also build up Afghanistan's security forces and step up economic improvement efforts.
ABDULLAH'S NEW STRENGTH
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah campaigned strongly and emerged as a true figurehead among what had in the past been a fractured opposition. The events of the past two days have only strengthened his position further, analysts say.
Karzai will now be under pressure to work with Abdullah to reach some form of agreement over the shape of the next administration.
Even though talks on a power-sharing deal broke down last week, according to Western diplomats in Kabul, Karzai will need to give up some key cabinet positions to Abdullah's camp in order make the government more representative.
"Karzai has lost his legitimacy, he is a very weak president and he cannot govern without reaching out to Dr Abdullah," said Kabul-based political analyst Haroun Mir. "So the ball is in Dr Abdullah's court right now."
Karzai has already told Brown that he was working on a "national unity manifesto" more representative of Afghanistan's diverse ethnic and political factions.
"We need to see a cabinet that is ethnically diverse, that is inclusive of people from the north and the south," the Western official said.
Karzai's support base is mainly among Pashtuns, Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, in the south and the east. Abdullah's is mainly among Tajiks in the north.
THE WEST
In one sense, the declaration that Karzai has been returned brings some kind of resolution for Washington.
U.S. President Barack Obama has been weighing whether to send up to 40,000 more U.S. troops as part of a strategy review and his administration now knows who they will be dealing with.
But selling Karzai as a credible and legitimate partner to an already sceptical U.S. public, and to increasingly fractious U.S. lawmakers, in the face of growing casualties will be difficult.
In the short term, it also means that Western countries with troops in Afghanistan will now not have to risk more casualties securing a run-off in which the winner was already known.
THE TALIBAN
The Taliban had vowed to disrupt the run-off, just as they had in the first round. A suicide attack on a Kabul guest-house last week that killed five foreign U.N. staff brought home the seriousness of that threat.
The Islamist militants, who said Abdullah's withdrawal made no difference to them, will see Monday's decision as confirmation that the democratic process in Afghanistan has failed.
* Election officials decide whether to go ahead with run-off
* Referral to Supreme Court an option
By Golnar Motevalli
KABUL, Nov 2 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Monday as pressure grew to abandon plans for a risky run-off vote after the withdrawal of President Hamid Karzai's only rival.
The withdrawal of former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah from the Nov. 7 run-off has cast doubts over the legitimacy of the next government, which almost certainly will be led by Karzai.
The head of the government-appointed Independent Election Commission said he was concerned about security risks associated with a new election, a day after the commission said it would press ahead with the vote.
"If we go for a run-off and it did not give much legitimacy to the president and many lives are lost, it is also a concern for us," Daoud Ali Najafi, chief electoral officer of the IEC, told Reuters.
Behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to resolve the prolonged political crisis have gathered pace ahead of the run-off, ordered after a UN-led investigation panel found widespread fraud in favour of Karzai in the Aug. 20 election.
UN chief Ban ki-Moon will meet both Karzai and Abdullah to discuss development work, a U.N. statement said.
"The Secretary-General will also meet Dr Abdullah Abdullah and President Hamid Karzai to assure them and the Afghan people of the continuing support of the United Nations towards the development of the country and the humanitarian assistance that the U.N. provides to millions of Afghans everyday," the statement said.
A weakened Afghan government under Karzai would be a blow for U.S. President Barack Obama as he considers whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to fight a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.[ID:nN01398226]
Western officials in Kabul refused to confirm even whether they were in discussions with the IEC but privately acknowledge a run-off with Karzai as the only candidate would cast serious doubts over the credibility of his government.
"The IEC is meeting today and we hope that they'll reach a decision on the second round later in the day," a Western diplomat in Kabul, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.
While the Afghan constitution is unclear, options available to the IEC include cancelling the run-off or referring the matter to Afghanistan's Supreme Court for a decision.
Abdullah's withdrawal, and a decision to push ahead with the the process, would present the possibility of foreign countries being asked to to put more troops at risk to secure an election in which the winner is already known.
Military deaths have already reached record levels this year, with October the bloodiest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces. [ID:nLU712604]
RULES OUT COALITION
Karzai's camp on Sunday ruled out a coalition with Abdullah, dashing hopes the two leaders could together find a way out of the impasse.
Abdullah left the door open for future discussions but said no deals had been struck in return for his withdrawal, seen by diplomats as one way to spare the country more uncertainty that discredits the government and can only aid the insurgency.
He expressed strong reservations about the credibility of the election process after widespread fraud marred the first round vote.
Karzai had been favourite to win the run-off after getting more votes in an Aug. 20 first round. His campaign team also said the run-off would go ahead.
Abdullah said he quit because demands he had sought from the government and the IEC, including the sacking of Afghanistan's top election official, had not been met.
The Taliban, which have vowed to disrupt the polls again, said Abdullah's withdrawal made no difference.
Abdullah Abdullah, the chief challenger to President Hamid Karzai, said on Wednesday he was prepared for a new vote but left open the possibility of joining a coalition government.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, whispers with the U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, left, as Kai Eide head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is seen, center, during a press conference, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Afghanistan's election commission today ordered a Nov. 7 runoff in the disputed presidential poll after a fraud investigation dropped incumbent Hamid Karzai's votes below 50 percent of the total. Karzai accepted the finding and agreed to a second round vote.
The U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, left, gestures to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, as Kai Eide, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is seen on the back ground in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Afghanistan's election commission today ordered a Nov. 7 runoff in the disputed presidential poll after a fraud investigation dropped incumbent Hamid Karzai's votes below 50 percent of the total. Karzai accepted the finding and agreed to a second round vote.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai needed high-level American arm-twisting over several tense days — and meals that included "gallons of tea" and endless platters of lamb — before he finally agreed to a run-off vote in the country's fraud-plagued presidential election.
A senior American official briefed on the meetings by Sen. John Kerry gave The Associated Press details of the negotiations with Karzai. The talks lasted late into several nights, continued through endless meals and went on for hours each day.
President Barack Obama singled out the work of Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, who, the president said, "have been working tirelessly throughout this process." Kerry and Obama were meeting Wednesday in the White House for a full debriefing.
Talks began on Friday and continued through late Tuesday afternoon, hours beyond the scheduled start of a news conference at which Karzai was to have announced his agreement to a second-round ballot.
The official, who spoke anonymously to provide details of the private talks, said Karzai had become "shaky" and was suffering "buyer's remorse" by noon Tuesday. That was shortly before the news conference in which he was to announce his agreement to the run-off. He needed several more hours of convincing, including a long walk with Kerry on the Presidential Palace grounds.
During the extended stroll, the official said, Kerry opened up to Karzai, telling him about his own difficult decision not to challenge the vote count in Ohio on election night in 2004. There were allegations of voting irregularities in favor of incumbent President George W. Bush, and Kerry told Karzai that he knew he could have held up a final outcome for weeks by filing a challenge.
The official said Kerry told Karzai that he had decided then that a challenge was "not in the interests of an already divided and politically weary country."
Kerry first got word Friday that Karzai was balking at holding a new vote and refusing to accept the U.N. voting commission's finding of fraud. Kerry was at dinner in Kabul with Massachusetts troops. Eikenberry alerted the senator to the brewing crisis and the two went unannounced to the Presidential Palace for a nighttime meeting that lasted several hours.
Kerry returned to the place Saturday afternoon, scrubbing plans to travel to Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and on to Pakistan.
On Saturday morning, Kerry met with Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's main challenger and the only candidate who will face the Afghan leader on the next ballot. He also saw U.N. chief of mission Kai Eide, Eikenberry, the British and French ambassadors and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. There also was a sitdown with the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, who was born in Afghanistan and meeting with Karzai to encourage him to sign on to a new vote.
Meetings between Kerry, Eikenberry and Karzai continued throughout the day and late into the night Saturday. There was progress but no agreement, with Karzai insisting the 1.3 million ballots stripped from his total, leaving him at 48 percent, was unfair and had disenfranchised his supporters.
Senior White House officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to offer details of the negotiations, said Kerry stayed in Eikenberry's residence in Kabul and conducted his work from the U.S. Embassy, where he stayed in close telephone contact with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, national security adviser James Jones and special Afghan envoy Richard Holbrooke.
Sunday morning, Kerry flew south to Kandahar to visit a U.S. air base and then to Marine Camp Leatherneck to meet troops and receive a briefing. He also visited a tribal shura or council. He and Eikenberry returned to Kabul for more talks with Karzai who "was not in a positive frame of mind." After several hours of meetings that included both Afghan and U.N. election officials, Kerry felt there had been progress but no resolution. He decided he would pick up his schedule and go to Pakistan, with plans to return to Kabul if needed.
On Monday in Pakistan, Kerry had breakfast with Gen. David Petraeus, the chief of the U.S. Central Command, and meetings with Pakistani officials. He then returned to Kabul, hoping to close the deal with Karzai. An agreement was reached late in the day Monday and Karzai agreed to make the announcement Tuesday afternoon at a news conference.
But then at noon Tuesday he got cold feet and needed convincing yet again. That's when he and Kerry took their long walk through the grounds of the Presidential Palace. Karzai visited a small mosque on the compound to clear his head.
Then — at 4:50 p.m. Kabul time — he and Karzai and Eikenberry and a large gathering of officials walked back into the palace to face reporters.
