Name: Hamid Karzai Title: Afghan Interim Leader

Background: As a powerful Pashtun tribal leader, Karzai commands loyalty to large numbers of Afghan people. He is also a member of the same clan as former Afghan king, Zahir Shah.

In 1992 Karzai served as a deputy foreign minister in the first Mujaheddin government in Afghanistan. Initially, in the early 90’s, Karzai supported the Taliban, but broke connection with the organization in 1994 when he became suspicious of the movement’s leadership.

Spotlight: Karzai plans to build a government in Afghanistan consisting of a grand tribal assembly called loya jirga. After Sept. 11, many disaffected Afghan tribal leaders and commanders came to his home in Quetta. On Monday, President Bush vowed to build “a lasting partnership” with Hamid Karzai by his side, and offered an additional $50 million in credit to fund military and police training in Afghanistan.