Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the commander of US forces sought support from tribal leaders Sunday in the volatile south, where trepidation is rising over a planned offensive against entrenched Taliban forces. The meeting comes amid tensions with Washington over Karzai's scathing accusations of foreign interference in last year's elections that threaten to derail his main foreign backer's trust in his leadership. Karzai attempted to contain the damage with a telephone conversation Saturday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, but his allegations laid bare the growing frostiness in relations as the United States and NATO ramp up troop levels to try to turn back the Taliban. Karzai and Gen. Stanley McChrystal flew together early Sunday to the southern city of Kandahar to meet with scores of tribal elders as part of efforts to build political support ahead of the upcoming military push. Most of the 30,000 new troops promised by President Barack Obama will be headed to Kandahar city and the surrounding province. Speaking to the gathering, held under tight security at the governor's compound, Karzai said he knew people in the area were fearful of the coming offensive. He pledged to discuss tribal leaders' concerns with them and said the military action would be “an operation to bring security.” Also present at the meeting, known as a shoura, was the president's younger brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, a high-ranking Kandahar official and key source of support in the south, despite having been publicly accused of being a major drug lord – part of the corruption and cronyism that undermines support for the government and drives Afghans to the Taliban. He denies any involvement in drugs. Mark Sedwill, NATO's current senior civilian representative, also attended as a part of his mandate to lead efforts to “find a political solution and promote stabilization” in Kandahar, spokesman Christopher Chambers said. McChrystal did not address the gathering, but has said he foresees a series of targeted actions in Kandahar to steadily drive out the Taliban, rather than the D-Day style assault launched in Marjah in neighboring Helmand province. Sayed Ziarbaksh, a Kandahar official attending the shura, said the expected NATO offensive would only be effective if it left permanent institutions behind in the Taliban's spiritual homeland. “If (troops) just come and go, it may not be worthwhile,” Ziarbaksh said. “If there is no government, then there will be Taliban in those places.” Despite its importance, the Kandahar visit risks being overshadowed by the fallout from Karzai's Thursday remarks, which the White House described as troubling. – AP Afghanistan seeks arrest of ex-minister over graftKABUL – Afghanistan has asked Interpol to seek the arrest of a former acting cabinet minister accused of corruption and believed to be living in Britain, an official said Sunday, a rare bid to prosecute graft as demanded by the West. Western nations with troops in Afghanistan have stepped up pressure on President Hamid Karzai to take stern steps to crack down on corruption, which they say is endemic and feeds the Taliban-led insurgency as well as the illegal drugs trade. Afghanistan says up to 17 former and current cabinet ministers have had cases investigated by the attorney general, but has so far announced few actual prosecutions. Afghan authorities believe Mohammad Sediq Chakari, who served briefly last year as the acting minister responsible for religious trusts and the pilgrimage to MAKKAH, is currently in Britain, said deputy prosecutor Fazl Ahmad Faqiryar. The attorney general has issued an arrest warrant and through Interpol, the international police cooperation body, to detain Chakari, Faqiryar said. “We are awaiting their response and I am not sure if Chakari has been arrested or not,” Faqiryar told Reuters. Chakari, who Afghan authorities believe has obtained British citizenship, is accused of abusing power and corruption. Prosecutors say $250,000 was siphoned off of fees to Afghans attending the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last year. Three officials of the ministry, who are also accused of being involved in the case, have been detained by the government. Western leaders have become increasingly vocal in complaining about what they call the slow pace of Karzai's government's campaign against corruption. The White House says it was a major theme of President Barack Obama's visit last week.
