A UN-BACKED commission yesterday ordered a recount of tainted ballots from the Afghan presidential vote, saying it had “convincing evidence of fraud”, even as President Hamid Karzai for the first time surpassed the threshold needed to avoid a run-off and win re-election.

THE situation in Afghanistan is grave, but victory can be won with a change in strategy, the commander of Western forces in the country said yesterday, announcing the end of a long-awaited review.