of the dead were guerrillas from the Taliban and other antigovernment groups, but
about 1,000 civilians and 105 Western soldiers also died. The George W. Bush admin-
istration, which at first had scorned the role of peacekeeping in Afghanistan, began
embracing the concept in response to the Taliban’s resurgence. By late 2006, NATO
had assumed command of most of the nearly 40,000 Western troops in the country.
NATO officials estimated that a large peacekeeping presence would be needed in
Afghanistan for another three to five years.
Following are excerpts from a speech by Afghan president Hamid Karzai at the
inaugural session of his country’s new parliament on December 19, 2005.DOCUMENT
Speech by President Karzai
before the Afghan Parliament
DECEMBER19, 2005With wishes for prosperity and dignity of the Afghan nation, I inaugurate the first ses-
sion and the first legislative period of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan.
Praise be to God for providing our nation the opportunity to be in control of its
own destiny. This gathering represents the assumption of full sovereignty by the great
people of Afghanistan and Almighty God’s blessing. Over the course of our long his-
tory and during difficult days, the women and men of our country have stood stead-
fastly for defense of their homeland and religion and have saved their fellow country-
men and their country’s historic destiny. This soil has been inherently stable for
thousands of years and will last forever.
Respectable representatives of the People of Afghanistan,
With the establishment of the parliament, the main pillars of the state of
Afghanistan as per the Constitution are now in place. It is an opportunity to remem-
ber those men and women who have sacrificed their lives to pave the way for this his-
toric event. Hundreds of thousands of men and women of this country have lost their
lives for freedom and we cherish their memories and pray for their souls. The enemies
of our country’s security resorted to killing the electoral staff, security forces and the
candidates during the parliamentary elections. We pray for the souls of these victims
of freedom and peace. Afghans will always cherish their memories.
Respectable Senators
Completion of pillars of the State doesn’t mean full execution of the government’s
duties; more difficult responsibilities are lying ahead of us. Separation of powers and
performance of responsibilities of each of the three powers are among the duties lying
ahead. At this historic juncture, the role of parliament as a legislative power and mir-
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