Afghan's Karzai effectively handed 2nd term

About 68,000 American troops already have been ordered to report to Afghanistan by the end of the year.

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, wants the Pentagon to send him an additional 40,000 troops to prevent the Taliban from letting al-Qaida once again use Afghanistan as a haven — as it was in the days leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Despite misgivings over Karzai, the U.S. has little choice but to support a leader who was once the toast of Washington for his charm, his fluent English and his role as a conciliator in the wake of the Taliban collapse. Fluent in both major Afghan languages, he could reach out to different ethnic groups, including his fellow Pashtuns who also form the overwhelming majority of the Taliban.

But critics say he has been reluctant to rein in some of the former warlords whose support he sought to bolster his own political power but who are allegedly responsible for much of the corruption that plagues the government.

His own half brother Ahmed Wali Karzai has been rumored to be involved in the drug trade, charges that he vigorously denies.

Karzai insists he fell out of favor in Washington when he openly criticized U.S. military tactics, including the heavy use of air power that has killed many civilians. McChrystal has ordered troops to use air power sparingly to avoid turning Afghans against the NATO mission.

Abdullah stopped short of calling on supporters to boycott the polls — a move U.S. officials feared would have enflamed tensions. He also urged his followers "not to go into the streets" to protest the election.

"The people have the right to have a fair election," Abdullah said. "But this election was a failure. It was not independent. It was not transparent."

Karzai's campaign spokesman, Waheed Omar, said it was "very unfortunate" that Abdullah had withdrawn but insisted the Saturday runoff should proceed as planned.

"We believe that the elections have to go on, the process has to complete itself, the people of Afghanistan have to be given the right to vote," Omar said.

Some analysts believed Karzai wanted a runoff as an affirmation of his leadership after the humiliation of having so many of his August votes stripped away.

However, given the risk of Taliban attacks, the expense and the huge logistical challenge, it seemed doubtful the second round would be held.

"It's difficult to see how you can have a runoff with only one candidate," U.N. spokesman Aleem Siddique said.

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