| US keeps secret anti-Taliban militia on a bright leash |
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| Source: |
The Guardian |
By: |
Jon Boone in Arghandab |
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They are a secret tribal militia, the controversial creation of US commanders in Afghanistan eager to buttress local opposition to the Taliban. So clandestine are the units formed to protect villages in a critical valley in southern Afghanistan that US officials and special forces commanders in Kabul refuse to discuss them.
But the Guardian has learned that in one important regard, the Local Defence Initiative forces are not so secretive after all. As they patrol villages close to the key southern city of Kandahar, the fighters are being forced to wear bright yellow reflector belts so that their special forces mentors do not mistake them for Taliban.
The garish sashes were introduced to distinguish the non-uniformed militias from an enemy who favour the same get-up of traditional Afghan garb and AK-47 slung over the shoulder.
Mindful that the belts could become valuable currency in a conflict where subterfuge and camouflage are standard tactics, officers count them out and count them back in at the end of each day.
Not everyone thinks the militia is a good idea. Amanullah Rahmani, an Afghan army sergeant working in the area, said it was a mistake to set up such forces. "This is an American idea but I fear the Taliban will take advantage of it. They can get some guns and walk around saying they are the militia," he said.
The militias operate in Nagahan and Adirah, two villages in the Arghandab valley, a lush agricultural area bordering Kandahar City which is likely to be one of the main focuses of this summer's main military campaign against the Taliban.
Because of the intense controversy about such informal police forces among Afghans and sections of the international community, very little is known about the LDI. US officials privately reject comparisons with previous militias that have gone on to plague the country.
Major Joseph Brannon, the commanding officer of US regular troops operating in the area, said the programme had shown some signs of success in Nagahan but was struggling in the village of Adirah, where allegiances are split between several tribes and the "eldest elder" appeared to be favourably disposed to the Taliban.
"In Nagahan there is just one tribe and there are no tribal issues holding them back. But the real reason for success was that a lot of money was invested in the programme early on," he said, adding that LDI forces were being run in eight different locations around Afghanistan.
One of the mysteries surrounding such protection teams is where they get their weapons from and whether they are paid directly for their work. Brannon said LDI members had to equip themselves with weapons and did not work for direct payment, but were rewarded instead with development projects ‑ such as improvements to irrigation canals ‑ that benefit the whole community.
"They are not getting paid for security but to work on projects," he said.
The plan has been pushed by Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan. US allies have been kept in the dark about the militia, which are run by a US special forces command that sits out outside Nato control.
There are divisions within the US government over the issue, with one official saying Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador, is deeply sceptical about the scheme.
Brannon acknowledged that it was not widely supported by people living in the valley. One of the main fears is that if payments dry up the informal police forces will turn to extortion and stealing from the local population to sustain themselves.
"The issue with LDI is that people look at it as a militia," he said. "We have village elders and in other villagers who have pushed back against it because of that. Just like the Afghan police there is also the risk that the LDI might abuse their power and beat somebody, or steal from the locals which obviously undermines support for everything else we are doing."
Some pundits have pushed for the widespread use of militias, saying that they helped to bring security in Iraq. Brannon warned however that "this is not Iraq. The Sons of Iraq started on their own and we then supported them. Here we are starting them up ourselves and in this country they are overwhelmingly motivated by money."
| A Civil War Among Afghanistan's Insurgents? |
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| Source: |
TIME |
By: |
Tim McGirk in Kabul |
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The mujahedeen insurgents that wrecked the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s went to war with one another after the Red Army had departed. But the Taliban and allied insurgents are skipping the formality of waiting for NATO to leave. A fierce battle last weekend in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province between fighters of the Taliban and their erstwhile allies Hezb-i-Islami killed over 50 combatants and 19 civilians — and may prove to be a major boon to President Hamid Karzai.
Until now, commanders of the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami had carved up the territory's drug routes, set up road tolls and generally left each other alone in what was effectively a no-go area for NATO and Afghan troops. But that alliance was shattered by the firefight that erupted early Saturday. And when Hezb-i-Islami fighters realized the Taliban had them surrounded and outgunned, they made a desperate call to authorities, declaring that they were switching sides to join the government, and ask for reinforcements to be sent — and fast.
It remains unclear what caused the violent split in a part of Afghanistan remote even by that country's standards of extreme desolation. One police official said it might have started when the Taliban raided a Hezb-i-Islami's camp and tried to kidnap some of their men. Another version suggests that the two miltias were caught on opposite sides of a tribal feud. Whatever its cause, however, the schism could have powerful political implications: Hezb-i-Islami's leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a ruthless mujaheddin commander who fought the Soviets and later shelled Kabul in the early 1990s, killing thousands, is known to be Pakistan's man. Two weeks ago, Pakistani police arrested the Taliban's "shadow" governor in Baghlan who had slipped across the border. Taliban fighters may have suspected that Hekmatyar had something to do with their regional chief's capture.
The desperate defection of a hundred or so Hezb-i-Islami's fighters is a boon to President Hamid Karzai's government and to NATO forces, which had been losing ground to insurgents in the north. It also presents Karzai with a piece of the puzzle in any future reconciliation talks with the Taliban and its anti-U.S. allies, such as Hekmatyar and the Haqqani network, which launches forays and kamikaze attacks from its bases inside the Pakistan mountains to as far west as Kabul. Hekmatyar, whose forces probably number several thousand, scattered in the eastern and northern provinces, may be positioning himself for a seat at the bargaining table with Karzai and the Taliban. Many of his fighters are drawn from refugee camps inside Pakistan, and Kabul officials say that Hekmatyar receives support from both Pakistan and Iran.
Several weeks ago, Hekmatyar's son-in-law, who resides mostly in Islamabad, met secretly in the Maldives with a Karzai envoy, but Pakistani sources say the talks yielded nothing. In the past, Hekmatyar said his men would lay down their weapons 18 months before a pull-out of NATO troops and if a neutral government is installed in Kabul — neither of which is acceptable to Karzai or to NATO generals. Still, Hekmatyar is hedging his bets; one faction of Hezb-i-Islami has won seats in the Afghan parliament.
The Taliban have long been wary of Hekmatyar. When Taliban Leader Mullah Omar's fighters swarmed into Kabul and its environs in November 1994, the warlord who had shelled the city was ordered to disband his militia and leave. He fled to Iran, but returned after 9/11 to make common cause with the Taliban against foreign troops. Now, officials in Kabul are hoping that the outbreak of fighting between Hekmatyar's militias and the Taliban in Baghlan may lead to an unraveling of their pact in other parts of Afghanistan.
| Clashes between Afghan militants, Taliban leave at least 50 dead |
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| Source: |
Washington Pos |
By: |
Keith B. Richburg |
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KABUL -- Fierce weekend fighting in the north of Afghanistan between Taliban forces and another militant Islamist group has left an estimated 50 people dead, and the clashes were continuing late Sunday night, according to reports from the area.
Local news reports quoted government and security officials from Baghlan province saying fighting erupted Saturday between the Taliban and fighters of the Hezb-e-Islami, a guerrilla faction under the command of longtime militia leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Mujahideen leader in the battle against the Soviet Union.
The Afghan government has limited reach in the area where the clashes are occurring and details about the reason behind the fighting remained sketchy. It was unclear whether this was an isolated clash, or represented a break in the ranks of the allied militia groups that have been posing a challenge to the government of President Hamid Karzai.
The fighting was said to be centered in the district of Baghlan-e-Markazi, a stronghold of Hezb-e-Islami, in a village called Qaisar Khail, about five-and-a-half miles north of the district center.
News agency reports and Afghan media said the two sides were firing heavy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades. Various government officials gave the total death toll at around 50 on both sides, but different officials gave wildly different breakdowns of the casualties.
The Associated Press quoted a provincial police chief as saying more than 100 Hezb-e-Islami fighters pledged to switch sides and join government troops.
The Afghan Web site Quqnoos.com, run by the Tolo television station, called the clashes the deadliest in years between the militia groups, which had been in a strategic alliance opposed to Karzai's Western-backed government. Both groups had been demanding a withdrawal of American and other foreign forces from Afghanistan as a prelude to any reconciliation talks with the Karzai government. But Hekmatyar, with a history of switching sides, was considered more susceptible to peace overtures.
After battling invading Soviet forces, Hekmatyar alternately allied himself with and battled against almost every major faction in Afghanistan; he spent the years of Taliban control living in exile in Iran while his militia splintered. After American troops ousted the Taliban in 2001, Hekmatyar called for a "jihad" against foreign forces, and he formed a new alliance with Taliban insurgents.
Hekmatyar has been blamed for several attacks against American and NATO troops, and the U.S. government has designated him a terrorist because of his alleged links to both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. It remains unclear how the United States would react to any attempt to lure Hekmatyar out of the fighting by offering him a role in the government.
News of the clashes in the north came as Karzai made an official visit to the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah, in Helmand province, which has been the scene of a major offensive by American and Afghan troops.
Karzai, accompanied by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, spoke to about 300 tribal and village elders in a mosque and asked for their support to prevent a Taliban return to the area. Karzai has been criticized for remaining isolated in Kabul and not venturing out into the countryside, particularly in volatile areas.
"Are you with me or against me?" Karzai asked in Marjah, prompting the elders to raise their hands in the air and shout, "We are with you!" and "We are supporting you!" according to pool reporters at the scene.
Despite the pledges of support, however, the elders peppered Karzai with questions and complaints about the ongoing military operation. Some were upset that some civilians, who they said were not connected to the Taliban, were being detained by U.S. forces. Others complained that foreign troops had taken over schools and other facilities to use as bases.
The elders also claimed that Afghan troops looted their shops during the battle to retake the town, and they repeated a common Afghan complaint about high levels of corruption in the Afghan government.
| Afghan Taliban clash with rivals |
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| Source: |
BBC |
By: |
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At least 60 militants have been killed in fighting between the Taliban and a rival Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, in northern Afghanistan, police say.
The fighting in Baghlan province erupted on Saturday morning. A number of civilians died in the crossfire.
The rivalry between former allies seems to concern control of local villages and taxes, a BBC correspondent says.
Afghan officials also said dozens of Hezb-e-Islami fighters had defected to the government during the fighting.
Hezb-e-Islami, loyal to former PM Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is the second biggest militant group in Afghanistan.
The two groups have previously been allied in their opposition to Afghan's central government and foreign forces.
Baghlan's police chief told the BBC that 40 Hezb-e-Islami fighters had been killed, as well as 20 Taliban militants.
The Taliban are said to have detained at least 50 members of Hezb-e-Islami, Gen Akhbar said.
Some Hezb-e-Islami militants were surrounded by Taliban forces, a regional police spokesman, Laal Mohammad Ahmadzai, told the AFP news agency.
He said 11 Hezb-e-Islami commanders and 68 of their men had defected to the government.
Estimates of the number from other Afghan officials ranged between 50 and 100.
Fighting is taking place in an area where the Afghan government has little or no presence on the ground, says the BBC's Chris Morris in Kabul.
'Global terrorist'
The US labelled Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a "specially designated global terrorist" in 2003.
His mujahideen faction was one of the groups that helped end the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
In the unrest that followed in the early 1990s, his group of fundamentalist Sunni Muslim Pashtuns clashed violently with other mujahideen in the struggle for control of Kabul. Mr Hekmatyar served twice as prime minister during that period.
Hezb-e Islami was blamed for much of the terrible death and destruction of that time, which led many ordinary Afghans to welcome the emergence of the Taliban. They forced Mr Hekmatyar and his men to flee Kabul in 1996.
After the Taliban were overthrown, he pledged allegiance to the new Western-backed administration in Kabul. However, after an alleged anti-government plot by Hezb-e Islami was uncovered, the group took up arms and allied itself to the Taliban.
Although his position has been weakened in recent years, he remains a key figure in the insurgency, especially in the east and parts of the north.
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