In Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai was sworn in as the President for a second five-year term on Thursday. He was administered oath of office by the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Salam Azmi, at a grand ceremony at the heavily-fortified Presidential Palace in the presence of 800 guests, including External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In his first public address after being sworn in for a second term, Karzai invited his rival in the Presidential polls, Abdullah Abdullah, to join in the unity government. The President also said that the Afghan armed forces would take over the country's security duties from the US-led NATO troops in five years.Karzai was declared re-elected to the Presidency on the 2nd of this month by the country's independent Election Commission after Abdullah withdrew from the run-off, which was ordered following a UN-backed commission's findings that nearly a third of the votes cast on August 20 were fraudulent. Fearing Taliban strikes during the ceremony, Afghan and NATO forces put the capital city of Kabul under heavy security net, closing the international airport and advising citizens and foreigners to stay indoors.