Karzai in control

Hamid Karzai has been given a second five-year term as president of Afghanistan and said he'd work to displace corruption that has marked his government.

He also said the new government in Kabul would be "inclusive" and invited "Taliban brothers" to "embrace their land." It is unclear whether this means a place at the leadership table for the militant group that has been carrying out attacks across the country.

Western leaders are watching Karzai carefully as they consider whether to bolster their forces in Afghanistan, forces that ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 and have been fighting in the country since.

The Taliban stepped up attacks recently to try to disrupt Saturday's runoff election between Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. But Abdullah pulled the plug on that himself by withdrawing from the race on Sunday. The following day elections officials declared Karzai the winner.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who has been considering a troop-increase request from military commanders for at least nine weeks, Monday congratulated Karzai and said the new presidential term should represent a new chapter for the Afghan leadership.