Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president Thursday, pledging to fight graft and take control of his country's security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election left his image in ruins. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari were among dignitaries attending the ceremony in an ornate hall in Karzai's sprawling Kabul palace. Outside, the capital was all but a ghost town, with police shutting down all streets and ordering citizens to stay home. In the south, where the Taliban-led insurgency is at its deadliest since the war began eight years ago, a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 10 civilians in a crowded market and a car bomb killed two US soldiers. Karzai, 51, called for reconciliation with enemies and proposed a “loya jirga”, which under Afghanistan's constitution can take precedence over all government institutions, including the presidency itself. “We welcome those who are not affiliated with any terrorist organizations and whose hands are not red with Afghans' blood,” he said. He described corruption as a menace to the state, and promised measures to fight it.
