Karzai seeks to gain control of Kandahar

Afghan president Hamid Karzai sought support today for the Nato campaign to ramp up security in the key southern city of Kandahar and bolster his government’s influence in a Taliban stronghold rife with violence, crime and corruption.

Mr Karzai flew to Kandahar for only his second trip in recent years to the city - the biggest in the south and spiritual birthplace of the Taliban.