Karzai's inauguration

Hamid Karzai with his vice presidents, Mohammad Qasim Fahim (left) and Karim Khalili (right). In a sop to the West, Karzai promised to spend his second five-year term fighting corruption and invited his defeated rival Abdullah Abdullah to join his government. He also called for the swift withdrawal of Nato troops saying: "We hope that the Afghan forces will lead the task of security and stability throughout the country in the coming five years."