Karzai faces tough challenge

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 19 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's 33 million people await their Aug. 20 elections under threat from a growing Taliban insurgency that determined U.S. and NATO troops are trying to put down.

A measure of the situation was seen Tuesday, which marked the official start of campaigning for the elections. Many of the candidates for the national and provincial assembly preferred to stay home, fearing violence.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose popularity ratings have plunged in recent months amid the chaos in the country, remains the front-runner as he seeks another five-year term. He will be challenged by more than three dozen candidates for the high office, but the main rivals are two of his former Cabinet ministers.

Karzai has been president of the predominantly Sunni Muslim country since the Taliban was ousted in 2001. His government rules a backward country, which despite the advent of democracy remains shackled by deep-rooted and destructive ethnic, regional, religious and tribal rivalries.

Compounding the country's sad state of affairs is the resurgence of the Taliban, which gets support from fellow militants from across the border in Pakistan, whose territory is used to launch cross-border attacks on U.S. and NATO troops.

The start of formal campaigning Tuesday began on a subdued note amid security concerns, the Los Angeles Times reported.

One of Karzai's main opponents is Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, a former finance minister, who told a gathering in Kabul the country needs a change as the current regime is corrupt, Xinhua news agency reported. He also promised to create 1 million jobs.

The other main challenger is Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister.

"Karzai has failed to manage the country -- it needs to be dragged out of crisis," said Abdullah's campaign manager, Abdul Satar Mured, the Times reported.

Many of the candidates, the election commission said, don't meet the minimum requirements to hold office, and some are even illiterate, the report said.

But in the current environment, Karzai may have difficulty securing a majority of votes, which will force a runoff in the fall.

U.S. and NATO forces will be responsible to ensure security during elections in the rugged, mountainous country, much of which has become unsafe because of the insurgency.

The Los Angeles Times report quoted officials as saying that in Helmand, Afghanistan's major opium-producing region and one of the worst-hit areas by Taliban violence, five of the 13 districts remain outside of government control.

U.S. President Barack Obama has planned to beef up U.S. strength with an additional 21,000 troops by summer.

The critical problem is to reduce civilian casualties in the war so Afghans don't turn against the foreign forces and sympathize with the Taliban. The Times of London quoted a U.N. figure that 828 civilians were killed by Afghan or American-led forces last year, most in airstrikes.

U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new commander Obama picked to replace Gen. David McKiernan, has taken charge in Afghanistan.

In an interview with The Washington Post, McChrystal said he plans a review of his troops to ensure they protect the safety of main population centers while fighting Taliban militants.

The central question among U.S. military officials has been whether to deploy troops in remote hinterlands of Afghanistan to go after the militants or use them to safeguard cities and villages against Taliban intimidation.

The Post said under McChrystal the focus will be on local governance and economic development, a strategy that will need the Karzai government's total commitment if it is re-elected.

Haji Din Mohammed, Karzai's campaign manager, rejected various poll results in which respondents blamed corruption and inefficiency in government, the Los Angeles Times report said.

"These polls are not neutral. No other candidate has his (Karzai's) standing," he said.

Kai Eide, a special representative of the U.N. secretary-general, urged the candidates to handle the elections with dignity and fairness, the BBC reported.

"The Afghan people continue to suffer from conflict, hardship and poverty," he said. "However, the strength and legitimacy of a future government and provincial authorities depends on the active participation of people in these elections."