Karzai may lose West support, Brown warns

LONDON: The West could withdraw support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai if he fails to live up to its expectations during his second term, Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned on Friday. While defending Britain’’s Afghanistan mission against waning public support, Brown admitted Karzai’’s government had become a “by-word for corruption” — and also pressed for more Afghan troops to bear the brunt of frontline action. He said he had spoken to Karzai, whose re-election was confirmed this week, several times in recent days and urged progress on the key issues of security, governance, reconciliation, economic development and regional relations