Editing Hamid Karzai (section)

===First term (2004–2009)===
After winning a democratic mandate in the 2004 election, it was thought that Karzai would pursue a more aggressively reformist path in 2005. However, Karzai has proved to be more cautious than was expected. After his new administration took over in 2004, the [[economy of Afghanistan]] began growing rapidly for the first time in many years. Government revenue began increasing every year, although it is still heavily dependent on foreign aid.
[[File:Hamid Karzai with George and Laura Bush at Camp David.jpg|thumb|Karzai with former US President [[George W. Bush]] and wife [[Laura Bush]] at [[Camp David]] in 2007.]]
During the first term in [[Presidency of Hamid Karzai|Karzai's presidency]], public discontent grew about corruption and the civilian casualties in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001–14]]. In May 2006, an anti-American and anti-Karzai riot took place in Kabul which left at least seven people dead and 40 injured.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2006/may/29/afghanistan |title=Afghanistan: violence surges |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=29 May 2006 |access-date=31 January 2010 |first=Mark |last=Tran |archive-date=30 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830031740/http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2006/may/29/afghanistan |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2007, after as many as 51 Afghan civilians were killed in a bombing, Karzai asserted that his government "can no longer accept" casualties caused by U.S. and [[NATO]] operations.<ref name="washingtonpost_May_3_2007">{{Cite news|date = 3 May 2007|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/02/AR2007050202757.html|title = Karzai Says Civilian Toll Is No Longer Acceptable|newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]|access-date = 1 May 2008|author = Pamela Constable|author-link = Pamela Constable|archive-date = 21 August 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080821065514/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/02/AR2007050202757.html|url-status = live}}</ref>
[[File:Hamid Karzai in February 2009.jpg|thumbnail|Karzai in February 2009]]
In September 2006, Karzai told the [[United Nations General Assembly]] that Afghanistan has become the "worst victim" of terrorism.<ref>RFE/RL, [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/9d5c90e1-de6e-4def-a053-9ba2f0aa4747.html/ Karzai Says Afghanistan 'Worst Victim' Of Terrorism ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612085114/http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/9d5c90e1-de6e-4def-a053-9ba2f0aa4747.html |date=12 June 2008 }}</ref> Karzai said terrorism is rebounding in his country, with militants infiltrating the borders to wage attacks on civilians. He stated, "This does not have its seeds alone in Afghanistan. Military action in the country will, therefore, not deliver the shared goal of eliminating terrorism." He demanded assistance from the international community to destroy terrorist sanctuaries inside and outside Afghanistan. "You have to look beyond Afghanistan to the sources of terrorism", he told the UN General Assembly, and "destroy terrorist sanctuaries beyond" the country, dismantle the elaborate networks in the region that recruit, indoctrinate, train, finance, arm, and deploy terrorists. These activities are also robbing thousands of Afghan children of their right to education, and prevent health workers from doing their jobs in Afghanistan. In addition, he promised to eliminate opium-poppy cultivation in his country, which is possibly helping fuel the ongoing [[Taliban insurgency]]. He has repeatedly demanded that NATO forces take more care to avoid civilian casualties when conducting military operations in residential areas.<ref name="southcoast">{{cite web |date=18 October 2006 |url=http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/10-06/10-19-06/16world-nation.htm |title=Civilians reported killed by airstrikes as NATO hunts Taliban |newspaper=[[The Standard-Times (New Bedford)|The Standard Times]] |access-date=1 May 2008 |last=Kathy Gannon |archive-date=30 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630212724/http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/10-06/10-19-06/16world-nation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In a September 2006 video broadcast, Karzai stated that if the money wasted on the [[Iraq War]] had been actually spent on rebuilding Afghanistan, his country would "be in heaven in less than one year".<ref name="msnbc">{{cite web|date=<!--7:31&nbsp;pm ET--> 24 September 2006|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14986859|title=Karzai says U.S. underfunding Afghanistan|publisher=pub|access-date=11 December 2007|last=msnbc|quote=Iraq war money could have stabilized the nation against Taliban surge, he says|archive-date=30 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730092242/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14986859|url-status=live}}</ref>