Mujahedeen commanders at a gathering in Herat, Afghanistan, to address the threat to security posed by the Taliban. Bryan Denton for The New York Times
Afghan Warlord’s Call To Arms Rattles Officials -- New York Times
HERAT, Afghanistan — One of the most powerful mujahedeen commanders in Afghanistan, Ismail Khan, is calling on his followers to reorganize and defend the country against the Taliban as Western militaries withdraw, in a public demonstration of faltering confidence in the national government and the Western-built Afghan National Army.
Mr. Khan is one of the strongest of a group of warlords who defined the country’s recent history in battling the Soviets, the Taliban and one another, and who then were brought into President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet as a symbol of unity. Now, in announcing that he is remobilizing his forces, Mr. Khan has rankled Afghan officials and stoked fears that other regional and factional leaders will follow suit and rearm, weakening support for the government and increasing the likelihood of civil war.
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My Comment: Talk about a prescription for civil war. This is an ominous development .... but one that should not surprise anyone. Throughout the ages Afghanistan has always been a nation at war with itself. It's mix of different sectarian and ethnic groups have never gotten along .... and I suspect that this history is only going to repeat itself after foreign forces have left Afghanistan.