KABUL -- Taking the oath of office in a solemn ceremony in his locked-down capital yesterday, President Hamid Karzai set an implicit timeline for a drawdown of foreign forces, expressing hopes that by the end of his new five-year term, Afghanistan would see to its own security.

In his inaugural speech, the Afghan leader, whose reputation has been pummeled by allegations of corruption within his government, also vowed to fire any officials connected to drug trafficking and "end the culture of impunity and violation of the law."

The swearing-in ceremony took place in a high-ceilinged white chamber inside the heavily guarded presidential palace, before an audience of hundreds of Afghan and foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Security was extremely tight, with helicopters circling overhead and armored vehicles prowling the nearly deserted streets. The protective measures were reminiscent of those on Aug. 20, the day of the nationwide vote that ultimately yielded Mr. Karzai his second term. But it took almost three months of wrangling over the balloting to formally return the president to office, and the fight was clearly a bruising one.

In his speech, Mr. Karzai reached out to chief rival Abdullah Abdullah, although he stopped short of offering him a place in the new administration. Mr. Abdullah, who was Mr. Karzai's former foreign minister, dropped out of a scheduled runoff vote earlier this month, declaring that he did not believe that the contest would be fair.

With more than 110,000 foreign forces deployed in Afghanistan's mountains and deserts, and with President Barack Obama considering sending tens of thousands additional U.S. troops, Mr. Karzai thanked allies for their sacrifices -- but pointedly underlined hopes that Afghanistan someday would be able to safeguard itself.

"We are determined that, by the next five years, Afghan forces will be capable of taking the lead in ensuring security and stability across the country," he said. "I want Afghanistan to become a country that is capable of defending itself."

But the day brought clear reminders of the continuing threat from a revitalized insurgency that has held NATO's armies at bay for eight years. Two U.S. troops were killed in an explosion in the southern province of Zabul, military officials said. This year has been the most lethal yet for U.S. and other foreign forces.

Mr. Karzai also touched on issues that have become particular sore points with Afghans -- civilian casualties and the presence of private foreign security companies that operate as a quasi-military force across Afghanistan.

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