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Karzai: Tribesmen Will Help Fight Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday his government will give weapons to local tribesmen so they can help fight the biggest surge in Taliban violence in years. Speaking to a group of tribal elders from eastern Afghanistan, Karzai said he did not want to form militias that could clash with rival tribes. "We just want to strengthen the districts to safeguard them from terrorist attack," he said.
You could build the Afghan Army, which has had a pretty good record whacking the Taliban lately ...
Although they would not speak for attribution because of the sensitivity of the topic, Western diplomats briefed on the plan said they worried it could fuel factional fighting by giving weapons to forces loyal to warlords with long histories of factional disputes.
Like bringing coals to Newcastle.
Karim Rahimi, Karzai's spokesman, said the government is confident that would not happen because the recruits will be loyal to Kabul. He described the new recruits as "community police." "They are to strengthen the security setup in Afghanistan," he said.

The president did not say how many tribal fighters would be recruited. But he said there would be a dramatic increase in the ranks of security forces in some areas.

Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak told reporters the tribal forces would "take their command from each district police chief." He said local security forces would also be given better weapons and bulletproof vests.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-12
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=155785