Taliban era
American Special Forces and Hamid Karzai during Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001.
When the Taliban emerged in the mid 1990s, Karzai, like many other Afghans, supported them, because he saw them as a force that could finally end the violence and corruption in his country. However, he later broke with them and refused to serve as their ambassador to the United Nations, telling friends he felt the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was wrongly using them.[18] Karzai recently stated that "there were many wonderful people in the Taliban."[19]
Karzai lived in exile in Quetta, Pakistan, where he worked to reinstate the former Afghan king, Zahir Shah. On the morning of 14 July 1999, Karzai's father, Abdul Ahad Karzai, was gunned down as he was coming home from a mosque in the city of Quetta. Reports state that the Taliban carried out the assassination.[18] Hamid Karzai worked closely with Ahmad Shah Massoud in 2001 to help gather support for the anti-Taliban movement. In an interview in February 2005, Karzai criticised the role the United States played in empowering the Taliban to take control in Afghanistan. He claimed that he spent many years before the September 11, 2001, attacks in USA warning embassies about the threat, but that the West failed to respond, describing it as an act of "neglect, selfishness and short-sightedness."[citation needed]
As the U.S. military was preparing for a confrontation with the Taliban in September 2001, Karzai began urging NATO nations to purge his country of Al-Qaeda. "These Arabs, together with their foreign supporters and the Taliban, destroyed miles and miles of homes and orchards and vineyards," he told BBC, "They have killed Afghans. They have trained their guns on Afghan lives... We want them out."[18]
[edit] The Karzai administration
Main article: Karzai administration
Karzai appointed as President of the Afghan Transitional Administration at the July 2002, Loya Jirga in Kabul, Afghanistan.
After the 7 October 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom, Mujahideen loyal to the Northern Alliance and other groups worked with the US military to overthrow the Taliban and muster support for a new government in Afghanistan. Karzai and his group were in Quetta, Pakistan, where they began their covert operation. At this stage he warned his fighters by stating:
"We might be captured the moment we enter Afghanistan and be killed. We have 60 percent chance of death and 40 percent chance to live and survive. Winning was no consideration. We could not even think of that. We got on two motorbikes. We drove into Afghanistan."[20]
In October 2001, Hamid Karzai and his group of fighters survived a US friendly fire missile attack in southern Afghanistan. The group suffered injuries and was treated in the United States; Karzai received injuries to his facial nerves as can sometimes be noticed during his speeches.[21] On 4 November 2001, American forces flew Karzai out of Afghanistan for protection.[22]
Karzai speaking before the U.S. Congress in June 2004
In December 2001, political leaders gathered in Germany to agree on new leadership structures. Under the 5 December Bonn Agreement they formed an interim Transitional Administration and named Karzai Chairman of a 29-member governing committee. He was sworn in as leader on 22 December. The Loya Jirga of 13 June 2002, appointed Karzai Interim holder of the new position as President of the Afghan Transitional Administration.[23] Former members of the Northern Alliance remained extremely influential, most notably Vice President Mohammed Fahim, who also served as the Defense Minister.
Karzai re-enacted the original coronation of Ahmad Shah Durrani at the shrine of Sher-i-Surkh outside of Kandahar where he had leaders of various Afghan tribes, including a descendent of the religious leader that originally chose Ahmad Shah Durrani as key players in this event.[24] Further evidence that Karzai views himself fulfilling a Durrani monarch's role arise from statements furnished by close allies within his government.[25] His younger brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, has made statements to a similar effect.[26]
After Karzai was installed into power, his actual authority outside the capital city of Kabul was said to be so limited that he was often derided as the "Mayor of Kabul". The situation was particularly delicate since Karzai and his administration have not been equipped either financially or politically to influence reforms outside of the region around the capital city of Kabul. Other areas, particularly the more remote ones, are currently and have historically been under the influence of various local leaders. Karzai has been, to varying degrees of success, attempting to negotiate and form amicable alliances with them for the benefit of Afghanistan as a whole, instead of aggressively fighting them and risking an uprising.[citation needed]
In 2004 he rejected a US proposal to end poppy production in Afghanistan through aerial spraying of chemical herbicides, fearing that it would harm the economic situation of his countrymen. Moreover, Karzai's younger brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai who partially helped finance Karzai's presidential campaign was rumored to be involved in narcotic deals.[27] Karzai said that he has sought in writing a number of times, but failed to obtain, U.S. proof of allegations that Ahmed Wali is involved in illegal drugs.[28][28]
[edit] 2004 Presidential candidacy
Main article: Afghan presidential election, 2004
Inauguration of Hamid Karzai on 7 December 2004, after winning the presidential election.
When Karzai was a candidate in the 9 October 2004 presidential election, he won 21 of the 34 provinces, defeating his 22 opponents and becoming the first democratically elected leader of Afghanistan.
Although his campaigning was limited due to fears of violence, elections passed without significant incident. Following investigation by the UN of alleged voting irregularities, the national election commission on 3 November declared Karzai winner, without runoff, with 55.4% of the vote. This represented 4.3 million of the total 8.1 million votes cast. The election took place safely in spite of a surge of insurgent activity.[29]
Karzai was officially sworn in as President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on 7 December 2004, at a formal ceremony in Kabul. Many interpreted the ceremony as a symbolically important "new start" for the war-torn nation. Notable guests at the inauguration included the country's former King, Zahir Shah, three former US presidents, and US Vice President Dick Cheney.
