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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai to talk to Taliban if re-elected |
| 2009-07-14 |
| Afghan President Hamid Karzai flew on Monday into the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar on his first trip outside Kabul since campaigning began for the August presidential elections. Karzai flew by helicopter and was whisked under tight security to a government guesthouse in the southern city, where he survived an assassination attempt by a Taliban gunman in 2002. The Aug 20 presidential poll is seen as a crucial test for both Washington and Kabul, with violence in Afghanistan at its worst since the Taliban was ousted in 2001. Speaking to hundreds of tribal elders from Kandahar and the neighbouring provinces of Helmand, Uruzgan and Zabul, Karzai vowed to tackle the unrest gripping the nation through talks if re-elected. "We'll be talking with the Taliban, the opponents, solving the problems through talks, if people voted again for me," Karzai told the crowd in Kandahar. The western-backed leader, who hails from Kandahar and has been in office since the Taliban regime was ousted in a US-led attack in 2001, called on people to vote in the ballot. The Taliban have on several occasions rejected his call to renounce violence for reconciliation talks. Karzai faces 41 rivals, including his former cabinet members Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, in the war-scarred nation's second-ever presidential elections set for August 20. His popularity has suffered due to his failure to curb the violence from an insurgency and mounting corruption but Karzai is still seen as a front-runner, with most of his rivals lacking a recognisable profile. Promises: The incumbent told the gathering he would fight corruption while improving governance and security if re-elected. Security is a pressing issue throughout southern Afghanistan due to the presence of Taliban strongholds. Karzai has survived several attempts on his life including one in Kandahar in 2002. Karzai later drove to the outskirts of the troubled city under tight security to open a newly-built road. Civilian casualties: Karzai also reiterated his appeal for foreign troops to limit air strikes while hunting militants because of the number of civilian casualties such attacks cause. The US military in Afghanistan last week issued new combat orders designed to reduce such casualties, calling on commanders to limit the use of close air support on residential compounds and other areas likely to result in civilian deaths and injuries. Karzai also said he would encourage foreign troops to stop searching Afghan homes in line with the new tactical directive. |
| Posted by:Fred |