Reports indicate possible Karzai ouster

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- With U.S. President Barack Obama taking office amid an expected sea of change, experts say an ouster of Afghan leader Hamid Karzai may be forthcoming.

As support for Karzai wanes, rivals have flown to Washington to meet with the new president, who put the Afghanistan situation high on his list of things to do early in his administration.

Obama appointed veteran U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke as his new special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Thursday night after a briefing on the coming American "surge" from his top Mideast commander, Gen. David Petraeus, the British newspaper The Independent reported Friday.

Reports say international support for Karzai has dropped spectacularly, amid worsening violence and corruption and weak leadership. During her confirmation hearings, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Afghanistan a "narco-state" with a government "plagued by limited capacity and widespread corruption."

Until recently, sources said, diplomats saw no alternative to Karzai. But, four key figures believed to be challenging Karzai have traveled to Washington to discuss a "dream ticket" to wrest away control.

A senior U.S. analyst in Kabul told The Independent while Americans would not determine the outcome of an election, "they could suggest to people they put their differences aside and form a dream ticket."