Afghan capital readies for Karzai inauguration

By HEIDI VOGT and AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer

KABUL – Security forces increased patrols and helicopter flyovers in the Afghan capital Wednesday, bracing for possible militant attacks during the ceremony that will cement President Hamid Karzai's tumultuous re-election victory.

Karzai will be sworn in for his second five-year term Thursday, with many in the international community hoping he will introduce solid reforms and pave the way for a Cabinet house-cleaning to rid the administration of corrupt officials.

The inauguration comes amid repeated calls and threats from the international community that he reform his government following an election so spoiled by fraud that it took two and half months to resolve.

The U.S. has said that is will not provide any civilian aid to the Afghan government unless it can ensure accountability for the money. Both the U.S. and other NATO countries have also said they are weighing the rampant government corruption and mismanagement in decisions over committing more troops.

Even the ceremony itself is fraught with potential danger. Dignitaries from 42 countries are scheduled to attend, and the event could be a target for militants eager to attack the president and his allies.

There will be no large public ceremony. Instead, the inauguration will be held inside the presidential palace with tight restrictions on who is allowed in. Since an assassination attempt on Karzai at a public parade in 2008, he has stayed away from large public appearances.

The government has declared Thursday a national holiday and has asked the public to stay home to minimize traffic on the capital's clogged roads, while regular flights to and from Kabul airport will be canceled for the day.

Col. Sanam Gul, commander of the 4th Battalion of the Afghan National Army, the key Afghan combat unit in Logar province south of the capital, said his troops along with U.S. forces were increasing patrols and checkpoints leading into Kabul and stopping suspicious vehicles headed in that direction.

"The enemy is now trying to penetrate into Kabul to disrupt the inauguration," Gul said.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi said patrols have been stepped up throughout Kabul, and that roads leading to embassies have been blocked.

"We have very tight security inside Kabul, around Kabul, outside Kabul," he said.

The inauguration comes as the reputation of the Karzai government has sunk to new lows. Though dogged by corruption for years, the government was seen as particularly tainted by the August presidential vote and the rampant ballot-box stuffing that took place.

Western diplomats leaned on the Afghan president for weeks before he accepted results that didn't give him the 50 percent needed to win outright. Karzai was eventually declared the winner after his only remaining opponent dropped out because he said there was no way a runoff vote could be fair.

Even before the election, Afghans tended to worry more about the lack of help from their government than attacks from Taliban militants, according to a survey released Wednesday by aid agency Oxfam International.

About 70 percent of the Afghans surveyed between January and April blamed poverty and unemployment for the fighting in their country. Survey respondents were not limited to one choice, and 48 percent of those polled also picked corruption and government ineffectiveness as a major cause of violence. But only 36 percent said that the Taliban were significant cause of fighting.

The survey of about 700 Afghans across fewer than half of the country's provinces is not a scientific representation, but it gives a taste of people's concerns as they prepare for another five years with Karzai.

"This survey shows they're incredibly concerned about the ability of the government to deliver services and the transparency of the government," said Ashley Jackson, a researcher with the British-based charity.

Meanwhile, security and Taliban forces continue to clash in the volatile regions. In the latest violence, a U.S. service member was killed when his vehicle hit a bomb in the south of the country, NATO forces said.