KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Ashraf Ghani was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan's new president and its first democratically-elected leader.
Ghani acknowledged in his inauguration speech that Afghanistan was "besieged with problems," and encouraged the Taliban and other militants to negotiate an end to the ongoing violence. "War is not the way to solve problems," he said, while warning, "Those who believe in the use of force will be dealt with the same way."