'Afghan Militias Battle Taliban with Aid of US', The New York Times, 21 November 2009
EXCERPT: "American and Afghan officials have begun helping a number of anti-Taliban militias that have independently taken up arms against insurgents in several parts of Afghanistan, prompting hopes of a large-scale tribal rebellion against the Taliban. The emergence of the militias, which took some leaders in Kabul by surprise, has so encouraged the American and Afghan officials that they are planning to spur the growth of similar armed groups across the Taliban heartland in the southern and eastern parts of the country. The American and Afghan officials say they are hoping the plan, called the Community Defense Initiative, will bring together thousands of gunmen to protect their neighborhoods from Taliban insurgents. Already there are hundreds of Afghans who are acting on their own against the Taliban, officials say. . . The Americans hope the militias will encourage an increasingly demoralized Afghan population to take a stake in the war against the Taliban. 'The idea is to get people to take responsibility for their own security,' said a senior American military official in Kabul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'In many places they are already doing that.'"
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Afghanistan's grievances and tribal splits: Ripe for exploitation?, Times Online, 23 November 2009
Afghan village armies on self defence, South Asian News Agency, 23 November 2009
How the US funds the Taliban, The Nation, 11 November 2009
Related posts:
10,000 tribesmen hired to secure polls, 11 August 2009
Can Afghanistan's new "guardian" militia restore security?, 10 July 2009
New Afghan force joins fight against Taliban, 22 May 2009
US creates local militias to fight Taliban, 14 April 2009
Local force to guard against Taliban, 26 March 2009
