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By Jethro Mullen and Brian Walker, CNN

updated 9:10 AM EDT, Mon September 29, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Ashraf Ghani was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan's President, sealing the country's first peaceful democratic transition of power.

Ghani, a former finance minister, takes office after signing a power-sharing deal last week with his rival presidential candidate, Abdullah Abdullah.

He succeeds Hamid Karzai, who experienced a rocky relationship with the United States during his 13 years in power that began after the fall of the Taliban.

A reminder of the challenges facing Ghani and Afghanistan came a few miles away from the presidential palace in Kabul: A suicide bomber targeting a police checkpoint killed four police officers and three civilians Monday morning, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, three suicide bombers killed four Afghan police officers Monday at a district police headquarters in the eastern Paktia province, Sediqqi said.

Ghani and Abdullah had been locked in a lengthy dispute amid accusations of voting fraud and manipulation, raising fears of increased instability in the fragile, war-torn country.

Under the agreement, Abdullah, a former foreign minister who later became a vocal critic of Karzai's, will take a newly created position of chief executive officer, which will have similar functions to a prime minister.

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Afghanistan's President sworn in

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (second from left) stands next to Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah (left) and two deputy officials as he takes the oath during the inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday. Ahmad Massoud/Xinhua/Landov hide caption

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (second from left) stands next to Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah (left) and two deputy officials as he takes the oath during the inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.

"Hold me accountable" is the message from Afghanistan's new president, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who took the oath of office today, succeeding Hamid Karzai, a leader many accused of lacking accountability.

Ahmadzai's accession to leadership in Afghanistan follows a protracted dispute with his rival in the presidential vote, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who accused his opponent of vote fraud but later agreed to a power-sharing arrangement.

"I am your leader, but I am not better than you. If I make mistakes, hold me accountable," he told hundreds of dignitaries gathered to witness the inauguration.

As The Washington Post notes: "The new unity government is inheriting an Afghanistan rife with immense challenges. Most foreign troops are scheduled to withdraw by year's end and the Taliban Islamist movement is mounting a resurgence in many areas of the country."

Underscoring those concerns were reports that a Taliban suicide squad attacked a local government headquarters in the country's eastern Paktia province, killing 12 people, al-Jazeera reports.

Also on Monday, White House senior advisor John Podesta said Washington and Kabul will sign an agreement tomorrow allowing 10,000 U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan past the troop withdrawal date at the end of this year.

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Afghanistan's New President: 'Hold Me Accountable'

KABUL, Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in Monday as Afghanistans new president, replacing Hamid Karzai in the countrys first transfer of power since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.

A senior adviser to President Barack Obama said the change in leadership would allow Kabul to sign a long-awaited security pact on Tuesday permitting U.S. forces to remain in the country past the end of the year.

Moments after Ghani Ahmadzai took the oath, he swore in his election challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, as chief executive, fulfilling a political pledge he had taken to share power and defuse election tensions that had threatened to spark violence between the countrys north and southeast.

In his first speech, Ghani Ahmadzai called on the Taliban and other militants to join the countrys political process and lay down their weapons. However, insurgent violence on Monday killed at least 12 civilians and police officers.

We are tired of war, Ghani Ahmadzai said in a televised address. Our message is peace, (but) this doesnt mean we are weak.

Ghani Ahmadzai, a former World Bank official and Afghan finance minister, wore a dark black turban popular in the countrys south as he swore in his two vice presidents and then Abdullah.

Abdullah, a former foreign minister, spoke first and thanked Karzai for his service and the people of the country for casting votes in the millions despite the threat of attack from Taliban militants who tried to thwart the election process.

We are committed as one in the national unity government, Abdullah said. Our commitment will be fulfilled together as unified team to create national unity.

Ghani Ahmadzai then congratulated Karzai for a peaceful and democratic transition of power, and he thanked Abdullah for making the national unity government possible. The new president also promised to confront the countrys endemic corruption.

We want to be held accountable. I am your leader but I am no better than you. If I make mistakes, you should hold me accountable, Ghani Ahmadzai said.

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Afghanistan swears in first new president since 2001 US invasion

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Ashraf Ghani was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan's new president and its first democratically-elected leader.

Ghani acknowledged in his inauguration speech that Afghanistan was "besieged with problems," and encouraged the Taliban and other militants to negotiate an end to the ongoing violence. "War is not the way to solve problems," he said, while warning, "Those who believe in the use of force will be dealt with the same way."

Ghani's inaugural address also called for an end to corruption, and the inclusion of more women and young people in Afghan government.

Ghani, 65, left Afghanistan in 1977 for a career in academia and at the World Bank, returning to Kabul in 2001 as a United Nations special advisor. He established a new currency, revised the country's tax system, and demonstrated an aloof and divisive personality that has hampered his ability to seek compromise.

Outgoing President Hamid Karzai welcomed the transition of power. "Today in my heart I have the same hopes for the country's future when I started as the head of interim government 13 years ago," Karzai said at the inauguration ceremony, where he embraced both Ghani and Abdullah.

Ghani's inauguration followed months of contentious electoral wrangling. The former finance minister had a lead in the preliminary election results following the June 14 run-off but his contender, former Foreign Minister Abdullah, challenged those results and called for an audit. The audit, overseen by the United Nations and paid for by the U.S. government, determined Ghani the official winner on September 21.

After taking the oath of office on Monday, Ghani immediately issued a decree appointing presidential runner-up Abdullah Abdullah as the government's chief executive officer, in line with a power sharing deal that was brokered by the U.S.

U.S. President Barack Obama sent a delegation to attend the inauguration led by White House Counselor John Podesta. Members of the delegation included: U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James B. Cunningham; ISAF Commander Gen. John F. Campbell; U.S. Ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues Catherine Russell; Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Dan Feldman; National Security Council Senior Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Jeff Eggers; Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review senior adviser Caroline Wadhams; USAID Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs Assistant to the Administrator Larry Sampler; U.S. Army Special Operations Command Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Daley; and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Miroslav Kazimir.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Ashraf Ghani sworn in as Afghanistan's new president

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