A plan to disarm Afghanistan's warring militias ahead of landmark elections is "seriously in jeopardy" because of obstruction by powerful commanders, the United Nations warned Thursday.
| Whoa! Careful with that feather! You almost knocked me over! Who'da ever expected that? |
The Afghan Ministry of Defense adopted a plan in late March to disarm 40 percent of the country's estimated 100,000 irregular fighters by June 30. But the U.N.'s top official in Afghanistan said the plan, which President Hamid Karzai used to drum up billions of dollars in aid pledges at a donor conference in Germany, has not yet begun. "The possibility that it will be completed in time is now seriously in jeopardy," U.N. Special Representative Jean Arnault said in a statement read by his flunky spokesman. Karzai vowed at a Berlin conference in April to tackle feuding warlords and militias, many of whom are suspected of involvement in the country's booming drug trade. But the Defense Ministry, headed by powerful faction leader Mohammed Fahim, has been slow to implement the disarmament plan, raising suspicion about his intentions.
| "Yon Fahim has a lean and hungry look!" |
U.N. spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said Fahim's ministry had been informed of the world body's concerns. "I think it boils down to the will of those who control military formations and weapons," he said.
| Outstanding command of the obvious. He must work for the U.N.! |
U.N. officials say three key commanders for the Tajik-dominated Jamiat faction - to which Fahim also belongs - are stalling on handing over lists of soldiers to be disarmed. The three are Herat Gov. Ismail Khan and army corps commanders Gen. Mohammed Daoud and Gen. Atta Mohammed. Men loyal to Khan and Mohammed have fought with rival militias in recent months. Afghan presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said "a lot of work" needed to be done to reach the disarmament target, but he insisted reluctant commanders would have to bend eventually. "Some commanders may drag their feet or express worries and there may be challenges," Ludin said. "But the government is really serious about this. There's no doubt this will happen." He said "all pressure" would be used to persuade them, but declined to elaborate.
Arnault said the units to be slimmed or scrapped had no role in fighting militants, organized crime or drug trafficking. "Quite the contrary, many of them have been in the past two years involved in factional fighting which is a continuing cause of instability and of suffering," Arnault said. U.N. and Afghan officials had identified job opportunities for all the affected soldiers, he said.
"Mahmoud, we got a job lined up for you. You'll be picking strawberries and avocadoes."
"There ain't no avocadoes in Herat!"
"Who said Herat? You're headed to the San Joaquin Valley!" |
I'm still trying to figure why no one's sent them south, to fight the Pakistani invaders Taliban remnants in Paktika. Either the Pakistani invaders Taliban remnants would be brought under control, or the size of the armed and dangerous population would be significantly reduced. |
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