# Afghanistan To Arm Tribesmen Against Taliban



## GAP (12 Jun 2006)

Jun 11, 2006 5:22 pm US/Central

http://wfrv.com/topstories/topstories_story_162194019.html

Afghanistan To Arm Tribesmen Against Taliban
(AP) KABUL, Afghanistan 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. 

Two soldiers in the U.S.-led coalition and seven Afghan civilians were killed in the latest violence in the country's south, which has been hardest hit by the pickup in insurgent attacks.

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.

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.

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.

He told the elders that in one troubled district in southern Kandahar province that there were only 45 police for a population of 65,000.

"We need about 150 police in that district for it to be strong, so we need to build the force from within the community," he said.

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.

The surge in fighting has killed more than 500 people, mostly militants, since mid-May. Wardak said the rebels have stepped up attacks to scare NATO countries from deploying troops there.

He said that violence had increased in the south because the Taliban was making an all-out push to scare Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and Romania from deploying some 6,000 troops to the region.

The soldiers are scheduled to resume responsibility for the region from the U.S.-led coalition next month.

"They just want to take advantage of this period of transition from coalition to NATO and they want to have maximum impact," Wardak said of the insurgents.

He said that once NATO deploys extra troops to the region — effectively doubling the number of foreign combat forces — and the government deploys more soldiers there, "I am absolutely sure that the situation will improve drastically."


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## vonGarvin (12 Jun 2006)

Would this be a levee en masse?  (yes, that's my mot de la semaine)


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## KevinB (12 Jun 2006)

:

Uhm -- UN DDR is disarming them -- and he wants to re-arm them...  ???


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## vonGarvin (12 Jun 2006)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> :
> 
> Uhm -- UN DDR is disarming them -- and he wants to re-arm them...  ???


Makes no sense, as in my limited experience over there, some tribesmen were as likely to go after rivals as they would after Taliban.


NB: my previous post was made ONLY as a germaine use of the term "levee en masse"


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## Bobbyoreo (12 Jun 2006)

Sounds alot like the things the US already tried in the past in these areas!!!


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## paracowboy (12 Jun 2006)

buying votes. Arming people to show them that he cares for their welfare. I'll bet that he's also only arming select groups, ie, ones friendly to him.

I'm okay with it. Arm them, put some troops in the village with them to train them up, and we have a version of the USMC CAP.


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## GAP (12 Jun 2006)

We collected an awful lot of weapons from dead VC, that when the serial # were tracked back, were originally issued to Vietnamese Popular Forces.


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## paracowboy (12 Jun 2006)

what we need is to tie this in with this:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/45043.0.html

And get the people armed, and the Karzai gov't working for the people, by talking to the people.


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## 043 (12 Jun 2006)

Yeah, great idea!!!!!!!!!

Too frustrated..........................can't type....................................will post later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Shec (12 Jun 2006)

Why does General Lew's politically incorrect observation that



> You can never own an afghan, you only rent them



come to mind?


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## TMM (12 Jun 2006)

Shec said:
			
		

> Why does General Lew's politically incorrect observation that
> 
> come to mind?



Along with "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

My enemy's enemy is my friend until my enemy makes new friends.


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## KevinB (13 Jun 2006)

Well I REALLY want to know HOW he is going to figure out who to arm...

Tajik's from the North (Northern Alliance) feel betrayed and they have behind the violence recenlty in Kabul.
Pastun's from the Kandahar area seem to like the Taliban.

The guy is the Mayor of Kabul and is acting like NERO....


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## m410 (13 Jun 2006)

About bloody time.  How do you expect backwoods villagers to defy the Taliban and deny them comfort if they can't defend themselves?  The Taliban should think twice before knocking on or knocking down a door if the fella behind it (and his neighbours) has a modern rifle.   :threat:

I've brought up CAP before.  Hopefully the Americans have the gumption to put some squads in isolated villages to train the locals and stiffen their resistance.  It's a shame we don't.


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## Infanteer (13 Jun 2006)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> Tajik's from the North (Northern Alliance) feel betrayed and they have behind the violence recenlty in Kabul.
> Pastun's from the Kandahar area seem to like the Taliban.



I see we're starting to learn why the British are on their fourth Afghan war....


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## KevinB (13 Jun 2006)

Infanteer -- IF it was I as Supreme Leader (would I look good with MacA's corncobb public pipe?) I would partition the country.

  The Karzai gov't and to some extent the Coalition and NGO's are playing how to lose a war...

There need to be a proper infrastrcuture system in place and CIMIC teams that do more than make empty promises -- otherwise every gun you hand over to tribesmen are guns that will come back to haunt you.

On Route "Bottle" as some here will know -- there is a sign saying: School Blah blah completion date July 2004 French CIMIC -- it is nothing but an empty lot.


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