An internally displaced Afghan laughs in a camp in Kabul on November 4, 2009. Former presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah said Hamid Karzai's re-election as Afghan leader was illegal, accusing his rival of lacking a mandate to deliver on pledges of unity and reform. Getty Images logo Getty Images 1 month ago

An internally displaced Afghan laughs in a camp in Kabul on November 4, 2009. Former presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah said Hamid Karzai's re-election as Afghan leader was illegal, accusing his rival of lacking a mandate to deliver on pledges of unity and reform.

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  1. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - OCTOBER 28: An Afghan policeman stands guard by a Karzai poster after tensions in city remain high after a suicide bomb attack on an international guest house October 28, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Taliban militants killed six U.N. foreign staff in the early morning assault raising serious issues about security before the Presidential run-off election in less tham two weeks time. Rockets were also fired at a the Serena hotel but no injuries were reported.
  2. A poster of legendary assassinated Afghan mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud is displayed next to one portraying President Hamid Karzai at a Kabul cinema while a worker sets up scaffolding on September 28, 2009. Afghans considered Massoud a national hero who waged battle against Soviets and Talibans while Karzai awaits final result of the poll recounts of the August 20 presidential elections the second such election in the war-torn nation's history and one held amid a vicious Taliban insurgency against the Western-backed government which deterred voters.
  3. Daily wages laborers stand near an election poster of Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, center, with first vice president Mohammad Qasim Fahim and second vice president Mohammad Karim Khalili, right, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. The U.N. is warning that violence in Afghanistan could increase after the results from the country's disputed presidential election are finally tallied and disclosed. Preliminary results from the Aug. 20 vote show President Hamid Karzai with 54.6 percent.
  4. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 17: President Hamid Karzai arrives to speak to the media for the first time since full preliminary results were announced at the Presidential palace on September 17, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Immediately after the President delivered his election message to the international media, Italian soldiers, who have stationed 2,800 soldiers in the region, suffered their deadliest attack in Afghanistan to date. Six Italian soldiers and ten Afghans were killed, including 55 wounded as the blast hit in a mostly residential area of the city. While Karzai stated today that some government officials were biased toward him in the election, he defended himself and the integrity of the vote against all the allegations of fraud and ballot box stuffing. Presently Karzai has 54.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. The ongoing recounts and fraud investigations by the Election Complaints commission (ECC), however, could drive Karzai's total below the crucial 50 percent, forcing a runoff election.
  5. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 17: President Hamid Karzai speaks to the media for the first time since full preliminary results were announced at the Presidential palace on September 17, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Immediately after the President delivered his election message to the international media, Italian soldiers, who have stationed 2,800 soldiers in the region, suffered their deadliest attack in Afghanistan to date. Six Italian soldiers and ten Afghans were killed, including 55 wounded as the blast hit in a mostly residential area of the city. While Karzai stated today that some government officials were biased toward him in the election, he defended himself and the integrity of the vote against all the allegations of fraud and ballot box stuffing. Presently Karzai has 54.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. The ongoing recounts and fraud investigations by the Election Complaints commission (ECC), however, could drive Karzai's total below the crucial 50 percent, forcing a runoff election.
  6. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 17: President Hamid Karzai speaks to the media for the first time since full preliminary results were announced at the Presidential palace on September 17, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Immediately after the President delivered his election message to the international media, Italian soldiers, who have stationed 2,800 soldiers in the region, suffered their deadliest attack in Afghanistan to date. Six Italian soldiers and ten Afghans were killed, including 55 wounded as the blast hit in a mostly residential area of the city. While Karzai stated today that some government officials were biased toward him in the election, he defended himself and the integrity of the vote against all the allegations of fraud and ballot box stuffing. Presently Karzai has 54.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. The ongoing recounts and fraud investigations by the Election Complaints commission (ECC), however, could drive Karzai's total below the crucial 50 percent, forcing a runoff election.
  7. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 17: President Hamid Karzai arrives to speak to the media for the first time since full preliminary results were announced at the Presidential palace on September 17, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Immediately after the President delivered his election message to the international media, Italian soldiers, who have stationed 2,800 soldiers in the region, suffered their deadliest attack in Afghanistan to date. Six Italian soldiers and ten Afghans were killed, including 55 wounded as the blast hit in a mostly residential area of the city. While Karzai stated today that some government officials were biased toward him in the election, he defended himself and the integrity of the vote against all the allegations of fraud and ballot box stuffing. Presently Karzai has 54.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. The ongoing recounts and fraud investigations by the Election Complaints commission (ECC), however, could drive Karzai's total below the crucial 50 percent, forcing a runoff election.
  8. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 17: President Hamid Karzai points as he speaks to the media for the first time since full preliminary results were announced at the Presidential palace on September 17, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Immediately after the President delivered his election message to the international media, Italian soldiers, who have stationed 2,800 soldiers in the region, suffered their deadliest attack in Afghanistan to date. Six Italian soldiers and ten Afghans were killed, including 55 wounded as the blast hit in a mostly residential area of the city. While Karzai stated today that some government officials were biased toward him in the election, he defended himself and the integrity of the vote against all the allegations of fraud and ballot box stuffing. Presently Karzai has 54.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. The ongoing recounts and fraud investigations by the Election Complaints commission (ECC), however, could drive Karzai's total below the crucial 50 percent, forcing a runoff election.
  9. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - A man tending his wheat field in Jurm, in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, stands near the shadow of a helicopter carrying officials of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah July 11, 2009. Picture taken July 11, 2009.
  10. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah sits on a carpet while interacting with the media at the end of an election rally in central Bamiyan province July 29, 2009. Afghanistan's presidential election will be held on August 20.
  11. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - A torn campaign poster for Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah is seen on a wall in Herat November 2, 2009. Abdullah quit an election run-off on Sunday after accusing the government of not meeting his demand for a fair vote, leaving doubts over the legitimacy of the next government.
  12. Abdullah Abdullah, former Afghan Foreign Minister, during an interview with the AP at his house in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. Abdullah spoke about the uncertainty in Afghanistan as Afghans wait to find out if the U.S. and other nations will send thousands more troops, if the newly elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai will fight corruption and how the U.N.'s decision to send hundreds of workers safely out of the country will impact humanitarian work.
  13. Abdullah Abdullah, former Afghan Foreign Minister, during an interview with the AP at his house in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. Abdullah spoke about the uncertainty in Afghanistan as Afghans wait to find out if the U.S. and other nations will send thousands more troops, if the newly elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai will fight corruption and how the U.N.'s decision to send hundreds of workers safely out of the country will impact humanitarian work.
  14. An Afghan municipality worker cleans off election posters of the presidential and provincial council candidates in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai's inauguration is set for Nov. 19. He won his presidential re-election campaign by default earlier this month, after his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of a runoff vote.
  15. Afghan women walk by torn election posters of the presidential and provincial council candidates on the ground in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai's inauguration is set for Nov. 19. He won his presidential re-election campaign by default earlier this month, after his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of a runoff vote.
  16. An Afghan municipality worker cleans off election posters of the presidential and provincial council candidates in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai's inauguration is set for Nov. 19. He won his presidential re-election campaign by default earlier this month, after his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of a runoff vote.

Recent Photos From The Wire

  1. A view of devastation caused by Tuesday's bombing is seen in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in a market close to a politician's home in central Pakistan, killing dozens and showing the increasing reach of Taliban militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
  2. A worker takes a nap inside her restaurant while waiting for customer in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. China's economic planners have vowed to curb property speculation while downplaying fears that surging prices for real estate, food and other essentials may herald an inflationary spiral.
  3. A couple dines inside a restaurant against a backdrop of apartment buildings in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. China's economic planners have vowed to curb property speculation while downplaying fears that surging prices for real estate, food and other essentials may herald an inflationary spiral.
  4. A view on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 of devastation caused by Tuedsay's bombing in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in a market close to a politician's home in central Pakistan, killing 33 people and showing the increasing reach of Taliban militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
  5. A woman looks through a ball containing the carcass of a sea fish at Siam Ocean World in Bangkok, December 16, 2009.
  6. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (R) chats with President of Deutsche Bundesbank Axel Weber before the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, December 16, 2009.
  7. Protestors march towards Bella Center where the U.N. Climate Change 2009 Conference takes place to disrupt proceedings in Copenhagen December 16, 2009.
  8. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry (L) and Herat Governor Mohammad Yousef Nourestani hold agreement documents in Herat December 16, 2009. The U.S. and Afghanistan signed an agreement to lease a five-star hotel for use as a U.S. consulate in Herat.
  9. Pakistani women mourn the death of their family member who was killed in Tuesday's bombing in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in a market close to a politician's home in central Pakistan, killing dozens and showing the increasing reach of Taliban militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
  10. Pakistani women mourn the death of their family member who was killed in Tuesday's bombing in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in a market close to a politician's home in central Pakistan, killing dozens and showing the increasing reach of Taliban militants in the nuclear-armed nation.
  11. BERLIN - DECEMBER 16: The Defense Commission of the German Bundestag, including Chairwoman Susanne Kastner (R), convenes at Paul-Loebe-Haus on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The Defense Commission will later in the day reconvene as the official commision to investigate the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan, in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to many Taliban fighters. The incident, because both German military and government officials were slow to disclose details surrounding the chain of orders and data that led to the bombing, has already led to the resignation of a defense minister and the German Chief of Staff. Most recently both current Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been pulled into the controversy of who knew what and when, with opposition politicians calling for the resignation of zu Guttenberg.
  12. BERLIN - DECEMBER 16: The Defense Commission of the German Bundestag, including Chairwoman Susanne Kastner (R), convenes at Paul-Loebe-Haus on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The Defense Commission will later in the day reconvene as the official commision to investigate the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan, in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to many Taliban fighters. The incident, because both German military and government officials were slow to disclose details surrounding the chain of orders and data that led to the bombing, has already led to the resignation of a defense minister and the German Chief of Staff. Most recently both current Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been pulled into the controversy of who knew what and when, with opposition politicians calling for the resignation of zu Guttenberg.
  13. BERLIN - DECEMBER 16: The Defense Commission of the German Bundestag convenes at Paul-Loebe-Haus on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The Defense Commission will later in the day reconvene as the official commision to investigate the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan, in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to many Taliban fighters. The incident, because both German military and government officials were slow to disclose details surrounding the chain of orders and data that led to the bombing, has already led to the resignation of a defense minister and the German Chief of Staff. Most recently both current Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been pulled into the controversy of who knew what and when, with opposition politicians calling for the resignation of zu Guttenberg.
  14. BERLIN - DECEMBER 16: The Defense Commission of the German Bundestag convenes at Paul-Loebe-Haus on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The Defense Commission will later in the day reconvene as the official commision to investigate the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan, in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to many Taliban fighters. The incident, because both German military and government officials were slow to disclose details surrounding the chain of orders and data that led to the bombing, has already led to the resignation of a defense minister and the German Chief of Staff. Most recently both current Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been pulled into the controversy of who knew what and when, with opposition politicians calling for the resignation of zu Guttenberg.
  15. BERLIN - DECEMBER 16: The Defense Commission of the German Bundestag, including members of the German military, convenes at Paul-Loebe-Haus on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The Defense Commission will later in the day reconvene as the official commision to investigate the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan, in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to many Taliban fighters. The incident, because both German military and government officials were slow to disclose details surrounding the chain of orders and data that led to the bombing, has already led to the resignation of a defense minister and the German Chief of Staff. Most recently both current Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been pulled into the controversy of who knew what and when, with opposition politicians calling for the resignation of zu Guttenberg.
  16. YEOJU-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - DECEMBER 16: South Korean soldiers participate in a winter river crossing operation in preparation for a possible North Korean attack on December 16, 2009 in Yeoju, South Korea. The Korean peninsula is the world's last Cold War frontier as stalinist North Korea and pro-western South Korea have been technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict.