“I’ll beat him in the first round!”   So says the leading challenger to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, to Fox News Saturday.

 August 20^th is the date for the crucial Presidential elections in Afghanistan.  Embattled President Karzai is running against over three dozen opponents.   The winner needs to net over 50% of the vote to declare victory.   Less than that and the top two vote getters will meet in a run-off.  

While Karzai has been ahead in all polls with Abdullah and others far behind, those surveys were taken several weeks ago and some reports see Abdullah gaining.    Still, most experts say at best Abdullah could only expect to force a run-off.    

In an interview with Fox News Abdullah criticized Karzai for wasting time, good will, aid money and foreign military manpower in the years since the Taliban was toppled post 9/11.    “8 years later we should be talking about lessening foreign troops here, not increasing them,” he told Fox.  He did say however that more troops would now be needed to defeat the Taliban

And while Abdullah said that preserving a close relationship with the US would be important, if he became President, serving the people of Afghanistan would be his “first priority.”