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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai To Disarm Renegade Factions In Afghanistan |
| 2002-12-15 |
| Source: NNI Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says it is ready to expand a programme to disarm renegade military factions across the country, including five southeastern provinces where factional leaders have been challenging the authority of the central government. The move comes two weeks after Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a decree on the fledgling Afghan national army that includes a call for an end to warlordism. It's a step that he wasn't strong enough to take until now. Let's hope he's strong enough to enforce it now... Disarmament of the private armies of Afghanistan's regional commanders is considered a critical step toward building an Afghan national army. Renegade commanders pose one of the biggest threats to the stability of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's Transitional Authority. In southeastern Afghanistan, renegade factional leaders like Padshah Khan Zadran have openly challenged Karzai's authority and have waged a series of bloody battles in an attempt to subvert his decrees. And now Zadran's on the run and allied with Hekmatyar. Who'da thunkit? Not Zadran, obviously... Afghan Deputy Defense Minister General Barialai told Radio Free Europe that an initial disarmament program in northeastern Afghanistan has been successful and will be expanded to include the rest of the country beginning next week. "This program for disarmament has been conducted in the northeast by General Abdul Rashid Dostum under the supervision of the Defense Commission and the defense minister, and has started its elementary stages. But our next program, which will start next week with seminars and courses that will take up to three weeks, will involve all of Afghanistan," Barialai said. "It's Dostum! He's coming to disarm us! Ran away! Run away!" Both Barialai and the UN-backed International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul have rejected claims made yesterday about the disarmament program by Mohammad Ismail Zazai, a spokesman for a regiment of the Afghan national army that has been deployed in the southeastern province of Paktiya. Zazai said that an ultimatum had been issued jointly by the Afghan government and ISAF warning renegade warlords to turn over their weapons within 10 days or face military action. "Those commanders of mujahedin who are armed and do not belong to any military regiment of the Afghan national army are being asked to submit their weapons to the government regiment within 10 days. After that, the ISAF forces will start the process of general disarmament in the province of Paktiya. Those who do not comply will be detained by the ISAF forces in Gardayz. They will be disarmed by ISAF," Zazai said. Karzai's not taking the ultimatum approach, even though Zazai obviously wants him too... Zazai also said that some 200 troops from ISAF had already arrived in Gardez as part of the operation. But that claim was rejected by the Afghan government, ISAF, and US military officials. All have noted that the UN Security Council resolution that created ISAF strictly prohibits ISAF troops from taking part in operations outside of Kabul province. Foreign troops that are active outside of Kabul province are, instead, part of the US-led antiterrorism coalition. Their primary task in Afghanistan, so far, has been to hunt down the remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. So maybe he was just a little confused over who was in charge... A spokesman for the coalition forces, US Army Colonel Roger King, said Zazai's announcement about the use of international troops is simply wrong. A decree issued by Karzai from Bonn, Germany, during a conference on Afghan stability earlier this month set out his plan for the creation of a 70,000-strong Afghan national army. The decree outlines how disarmament is envisioned as a way to incorporate weapons and troops from factional militias into an Afghan army that answers to a civilian administration. The decree says the United Nations and the government of Japan will help the Transitional Authority to prepare a comprehensive disarmament program. That is more governmental than simply saying "gimme your guns!" and then dealing with what happens next. Karzai's smarter than that, even if Zazai isn't... A commission on demobilization is to be created by the Afghan Defense Commission, which includes more than a dozen leaders of factional militias that would be disarmed and incorporated into the national army. Karzai's decree says that heavy weapons obtained from the factions, such as tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces, field guns, multiple-rocket launchers, and antiaircraft guns, would be integrated into the national army. "Y'mean I can't take this thing home? But I was gonna put it in my garden!" Karzai's decree also says that the current organization of the army will be gradually transformed into four major commands: a central command in Kabul along with three other command centers to be determined "on the basis of strategic and geographical factors." He's stuck with the problem of building a counterforce in full view of the people it'll be countering, using their own men and equipment. It'll be an interesting process. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |