KABUL (AP) — A two-month campaign season began Tuesday for presidential elections to decide who leads Afghanistan for the next five years, as the Taliban rebellion grows more violent and the U.S. sends in tens of thousands of troops to combat it.Campaigning got off to a slow start. The only signs of activity were the posters of President Hamid Karzai — who is currently visiting Russia — and some of his 40 opponents in the Aug. 20 vote that appeared overnight on the streets of Kabul.Karzai, who has served as Afghan leader since soon after the Taliban regime's ouster in 2001 and comfortably won the first presidential vote in 2004, is expected to win again. But many Afghans are unhappy with his leadership.Militant violence is rising and public anger reverberates against his ...
martina - 13 months agoAfghanistan on Thursday announced presidential elections for August 20, hoping a U.S. troop surge will improve security at a time when violence is at the highest levels since the overthrow of the Taliban.President Hamid Karzai has strongly hinted he will run for re-election, but his popularity has waned due to widespread official corruption and widening insecurity.U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered a comprehensive review of Washington's strategy in Afghanistan, which a White House official said would have a "significant non-military component," a likely reference to development aid.The Obama administration is also considering almost doubling the U.S. force in Afghanistan from 36,000 to more than 60,000 to secure the polls. A similar troop surge in Iraq improved security there ...
spetr - 18 months ago
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