U.S. congratulates Karzai on new term as president of Afghanistan

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The United States today congratulated Hamid Karzai for getting another term as president of Afghanistan after that country’s Independent Election Commission scrapped a second round of balloting.

But the abrupt end to Afghanistan’s presidential season, with challenger Abdullah Abdullah’s refusal to participate in the runoff, doesn’t end questions about what President Obama will do next to deal with the war, now in its ninth year, and whether he will send tens of thousands more U.S. troops there.

One of the issues Obama is weighing is what the focus will be of the U.S. and NATO mission in Afghanistan. A big part of that decision hinges on whether the Karazi government is accepted in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has stepped up its violent campaign to return to power. Obama’s decision also depends on how Karzai is seen by the international community after an election tainted by widespread fraud.
“We congratulate President Karzai on his victory in this historic election and look forward to working with him, his new administration, the Afghan people and our partners in the international community to support Afghanistan’s progress towards institutional reforms, security and prosperity,” the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said in a statement posted on its website.

“We also congratulate Dr. Abdullah and all the other candidates for their efforts to strengthen Afghanistan’s democratic future,” the embassy stated in the initial U.S. reaction.

Britain and the United Nations also issued statements of congratulations.

Obama has not set a deadline to act on the military request for an additional 40,000 troops for Afghanistan, where 68,000 U.S. troops have already been authorized. NATO has committed about 40,000 troops.

-- Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal