Reuters ahead with Afghan President’s agreement to a run-off election

Reuters was first on Oct. 19 to report that Afghan President Hamid Karzai would agree to a run-off election, an about-face that could clear the way for President Barack Obama to complete his strategy review and commit to more forces to counter a resurgent Taliban. The tip-off came from a senior Western source who was briefed on U.S. Senator John Kerry`s private negotiations with Karzai in Kabul earlier in the day. Karzai had balked at agreeing to a second round of voting, arguing that election monitors were unfairly stripping ballots from him on the grounds of fraud. The Reuters story was matched later by the New York Times and the Washington Post, which fronted the development. AP, AFP and Bloomberg trailed.