Afghanistan: key dates for Karzai
Updated on 19 November 2009
As Hamid Karzai begins his controversial second term as Afghanistan's president, Channel 4 News looks at the key dates and turning points for the country and the man.
2001:
- 7 Oct: US and British planes begin bombing in the hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his Taliban protectors.
- 13 Nov: Anti-Taliban Northern Alliance forces enter Kabul.
- 5 Dec: Afghan groups sign deal on interim government led by ethnic Pashtun tribal leader Hamid Karzai.
- 19 Jun: Karzai sworn in as president for 18 months.
- 9 Oct: Presidential election. Karzai declared winner and sworn in on 7 December.
- 18 Sep: Elections for a lower house of parliament. Parliament sits for first time on 19 December.
- 31 Jan: Afghanistan receives pledges of $10.5 billion to help it fight poverty and the drug trade.
- 30 Jul: Nato forces take control of security in the south, moving from Kabul and the safer north and west.
- 5 Oct: Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assumes responsibility for security.
- 12 Jun: Donors pledge $20 billion in aid but say Kabul must do more to fight corruption.
- 7 Jul: Suicide car bomb hits Indian embassy in Kabul, killing 58 people and wounding 141.
- 19 Aug: Suspected Taliban insurgents kill 10 French troops and wound 21.
- 5 Dec: Karzai and new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari agree a joint strategy to fight al-Qaida.
- 27 Jan: Thousands of US troops move into two key provinces in eastern Afghanistan.
- 17 Feb: New US President Barack Obama orders 17,000 more US troops to Afghanistan.
- 27 Mar: Obama announces plans to send a further 4,000 US troops to train Afghan security forces.
- 29 Mar: Karzai announces he will run for re-election.
- 15 Jun: General Stanley McChrystal takes command of international troops on 15 June.
- 15 Aug: Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide car bomb outside ISAF headquarters. Seven killed.
- 20 Aug: National elections take place under tight security.
- 2 Sep: Bomber kills at least 23 people, including the deputy head of intelligence, Abdullah Laghmani.
- 8 Oct: A bomb blast outside the Indian embassy in Kabul kills 17 and wounds 76.
- 19 Oct: US election observers say a run-off vote is needed.
- 20 Oct: The Independent Election Commission (IEC) says Karzai will face Abdullah Abdullah in a run-off.
- 28 Oct: Taliban militants kill five foreign UN staff and wound nine in an assault on a guest-house in Kabul.
- 1 Nov: Abdullah quits the run-off, saying the IEC and government have not met his demands.
- 2 Nov: Karzai is declared president again.
- 5 Nov: The United Nations says it will evacuate hundreds of its international staff for several weeks.
- 17 Nov: Report says corruption in Afghanistan is more rampant than in any country apart from Somalia.
- 19 Nov: Karzai is sworn in, pledging to tackle corruption and calling for a grand national assembly.
