During his speech, President Obama explained the purpose of more troops is to break the Taliban’s momentum in the country and help lay the foundation for transitioning command from the coalition to Afghan security forces.

Mr. Obama also sought to reassure Afghans that the United States has no interest in taking over their country.  He said America seeks to isolate those who destroy and strengthen those who build in Afghanistan.  Watch my story below to see how Afghans reacted to the U.S. president:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sg08MrqXoU

Mr. Obama also had a message for the Afghan government: The time for writing “blank checks” is over.  U.S. officials have long warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai that he must address government corruption during his new five-year term.  The day before President Obama’s announcement, Afghan lawmaker Daud Sultanzoi told me that he thought the new U.S. strategy is premature.

Click here for the story.

Mr. Obama also promised that the United States will not abandon the region.  He said that ultimately, America wants to be a partner with Afghanistan and not a patron.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O23lwnuSmas

It appears Mr. Karzai is working fast to make good on at least some his promises.  Late Sunday, his office issued a decree asking Afghanistan’s High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption to prepare for a national conference within one month.  The conference will bring together Afghan government officials, analysts and members of Afghan civil societies to discuss how to combat government corruption.

However, the make-up of this conference does beg the question: How can you find effective ways to combat government corruption when you are inviting government officials to participate?  The conference’s findings should be interesting.

Mr. Karzai has made numerous pledges to tackle the issue, but the problem
has deteriorated since he first took office in early 2002.  Transparency International released a poll last week that showed Afghanistan is now perceived to be the second-most corrupt country in the world behind Somalia.

Also in his inaugural address, President Karzai reached out to militants without links to international terrorism to help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. But following the tightly-guarded inauguration ceremony, it seemed the militants gave their response. Afghan officials said a suicide bomber in the south of the country killed 10 civilians and wounded 13 others.  A separate bombing also the same day killed two U.S. soldiers in eastern Zabul province.

There were several other attacks in the days that followed, including an assassination attempt on an influential member of parliament, a suicide bombing, roadside bombings and a rocket attack near the Serena Hotel in Kabul.

President Karzai said it is his goal to have Afghan forces take the lead for all security operations by the end of his new five-year term.  Judging by the continued violence, it may be a long five years.

Maroney Interview with Mohammad Yasin Osmani

In American parlance, Osmani is Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s “Corruption Czar.”  He is responsible for overseeing the fight against corruption in the Afghan government.

It is a daunting task.  Osmani’s office is less than a year old, and he says it is only 30-percent staffed.  It also is at the center of a storm of international criticism.

I asked him about a recent article in The Times of London, which quoted Afghan officials as saying U.S. President Barack Obama gave Mr. Karzai six months to address corruption or risk losing American support.  Osmani would not comment on the specifics of the article, but he agreed with the six-month time frame for reducing corruption.

He says that within that time, Afghan ministers must examine all their employees to determine if they were hired on the basis of merit or cronyism.

We spoke at length about how his office does not have the authority to investigate or prosecute, it can only “oversee” the strategy to fight corruption.  But he said that with the assistance of Afghanistan’s international partners, including the U.S. Department of Justice, his office has helped draft a new law that would grant it more power in the process.

I asked him about British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s comments this week about the Afghan government.  English may not be Osmani’s first language, but I did detect a strong hint of sarcasm when he said that he was “so happy that [Afghanistan's] international partners are so keen to bring this up.”  He said fighting corruption is a complicated process, especially when Afghanistan still lacks a comprehensive legal code.  But he said there have been some successes.

Osmani told me how Afghan officials have prevented about $200 million in corruption after simplifying the process for registering a vehicle.  The process originally took about a month and up to 20,000 Afghanis — roughly $400 — in bribes to register.  Now, Osmani says the process takes two days and no money.

Osmani says he is committed to uncovering corruption at all levels of Afghanistan’s government, despite the risks.  And after looking at the country’s recent history, including the past presidential election, he certainly has his work cut out for him.