Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government yesterday after stern warnings from Western supporters that he would have to work harder to root out corruption.
Afghan election officials on Monday canceled a presidential run-off after Karzai’s only rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew, citing serious concerns about the election.
The outcome leaves Washington and other Western supporters to work with a partner whose legitimacy has been questioned, while Karzai himself faces the prospect of having to work with a newly strengthened opposition.
Karzai’s return removes at least one obstacle as US President Barack Obama weighs whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, where violence this year reached its worst levels since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
The Taliban termed Karzai’s return a farce and vowed to continue its fight to drive foreign forces out of Afghanistan.
“The election only throws dust into the eyes of the people, but the decisions are all made in Washington,” the Taliban said in a statement.
Faced with stern warnings from Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other Western leaders, Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government.
“Our government will be the mirror of Afghanistan so everyone can see themselves in the mirror,” Karzai said in a nationally televised victory speech.
“There will be crucial changes in our future government. Afghanistan has been defamed from the viewpoint of administrative corruption ... Under whatever means, we will get rid off this blemish,” he said.
Afghanistan’s government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) called off the vote, saying it wanted to spare the Afghan people the expense and security risk of a vote with just one candidate.
Obama congratulated Karzai, but told him in a telephone call on Monday he had to crack down on corruption and better serve his people.
“I emphasized that this has to be a point in time in which we write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption [and] joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces,” Obama told reporters in the White House Oval Office.
There are around 67,000 US troops and 42,000 allied troops in Afghanistan. A White House spokesman said a decision by Obama on troop levels was still weeks away.
Several Obama administration officials have said one issue being weighed in Obama’s strategy review is whether the US has a credible partner to work with in Kabul.
Abdullah withdrew on Sunday, saying he was saddened by the challenges Afghanistan still faces and would pursue his agenda for reform and change.
While under a critical eye from the West, Karzai still has plenty of support, especially in the Pashtun-dominated south and east. Hundreds took to the streets in celebration in the western city of Herat on Monday.
Karzai has ruled since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source