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US begins program to train and arm villagers to fight Taliban
A U.S.-funded program to train and arm community members in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions as a way to defend against the Taliban has begun, the country's interior minister said Saturday. The community forces will be armed with the same weapons used by Afghan police - Kalashnikov rifles, said Interior Ministry Mohammad Hanif Atmar. Other officials said the program will begin in Wardak, an increasingly dangerous province on the southwest side of Kabul."After training they will have the responsibility of protecting the people, providing security for the highways, schools, clinics and other government institutions," Atmar told a news conference. Afghan and Western officials have struggled to fight the perception that they are creating regional militias, and officials are even sensitive over the name used to describe the program. Atmar said the program is called the Afghan Public Protection Force. Atmar said the top U.S. general in the country, Gen. David McKiernan, supports the program. The tactic of engaging local Afghan communities is endorsed by Gen. David Petraeus. Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-01 |
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