Karzai sworn in for second term

Pressure to eradicate corruption :

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term on Thursday, straining under Western pressure to eradicate corruption and restore legitimacy as a US-led war stretches into a ninth year.

Karzai took the oath of office with a Taliban insurgency killing record numbers of Western troops and Afghans, limiting government control in growing parts of the country after his fraud-tainted re-election.

Fearing Taliban attacks could mar the ceremony, local and NATO forces have put the Afghan capital into security lockdown, closing the international airport and advising foreigners and Afghan citizens to stay indoors.

Guests, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sat in a cavernous room at the palace as an honour guard of Afghanistan’s security forces stood to attention outside, according to live television footage of the event.

Wearing a traditional hat and colourful cape, the 51-year-old Karzai took the oath yeaterday flanked by controversial Vice Presidents Mohammed Fahim and Abdul Karim Khalili.

Karzai’s inaugural address will be the cornerstone of his swearing-in at his heavily fortified palace, with visiting Western dignitaries expecting him to commit to concrete reforms to clean up his government and restore trust.

Clinton, in Kabul for the first time as Washington’s top diplomat, said the nation faced a “critical moment” Kabul, AFP