Karzai Inaugurated as Afghan President

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Hamid Karzai was sworn in Tuesday as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president, as the impoverished country tries to leave its brutal past behind and bolster a young democracy that still faces the twin threats of terrorism and drugs.

A smiling Karzai, wearing a traditional green robe and a black lambskin hat, received a standing ovation on his arrival for the solemn ceremony. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, was among the 600 guests, including 150 foreign dignitaries.

After the Afghan national anthem reverberated around a restored hall of the war-damaged former royal palace, Karzai repeated the oath of allegiance read to him by Afghanistan's white-bearded chief justice, Fazl Hadi Shinwari.

Karzai then swore in his two vice presidents, Ahmad Zia Massood and Karim Khalili, members of the country's two largest ethnic minorities.

In his inaugural speech, Karzai said the hopes of ordinary Afghans would drive him during what is likely to be a tough five-year term. He reiterated his main pledges: cracking down on the booming opium trade, disarming militias and lifting living standards.

"We have now left a hard and dark past behind us, and today we are opening a new chapter in our history in a spirit of friendship with the international community," Karzai said, speaking in Pashto and Dari, Afghanistan's two main languages.

He said the fight against terrorism was "not yet over" and urged sustained international aid and cooperation to defeat increasing links between extremists and drug trafficking.

"The same cooperation has led to the rebuilding of the Afghan state and significant progress in restoring peace, stability and security to our country."

Wary of attacks by Taliban or al-Qaida militants, Afghan and international forces launched their biggest security operation since the Oct. 9 election, which gave Karzai a landslide victory.

Kabul was calm, but news of a large overnight assault by insurgents on Afghan troops near the Pakistani border was a reminder of lingering instability.

General Khial Baz, a senior Afghan commander, said about 250 militants, armed with assault rifles and rockets, attacked a militia base near Tana in Khost province.

An hourlong battle destroyed part of the base and left four soldiers and at least six militants dead.

"The Americans didn't come to help us," Baz said. "They only came this morning to ask questions."

Cheney, arriving at the main U.S. base north of Kabul earlier Tuesday, congratulated some of the 18,000 U.S. troops here for helping give democracy a chance to take root.

"For the first time, the people of this country are looking confident about the future of freedom and peace," Cheney said. "Freedom still has enemies here in Afghanistan, and you are here to make those enemies miserable."

Before the ceremony, Karzai thanked the United States, his main sponsor, for its help.

"Without that help, Afghanistan would be in the hands of terrorists," he said. "Terrorism as a force is gone. As individuals they are all around and we will continue to look for them."