Tribal ties bind Afghan Army

In the dust-doused city of Khost, where roosters compete with gunfire to announce the break of day, it is often hard to tell who is calling the shots.

First there is Badsha Khan, an imposing warlord whose resemblance to Iraq's Saddam Hussein belies his friendly and cooperative ties with the US.

Just down the road is the long-bearded Mustafa, the city's Kabul-backed security chief.

Mustafa, who describes himself as "embattled," sits atop the police compound surrounded by several dozen soldiers who regularly trade fire with the gunmen of Mr. Khan – who says Mustafa must go.

Then there is Malim Jan, a former Taliban commander and smaller-scale warlord who controls the city's fortress and is allied with Zakim Khan, the warlord in neighboring Paktika Province.

If this isn't difficult enough to comprehend, just wait. The guide to the warlord universe only begins here. All the above are Pashtuns, who tend collectively to resent the influence of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazaras, Turkmen, Nuristanis, and myriad other ethnic groups few Westerners had heard about before Sept. 11.

Now, the US wants to unite Afghanistan's Army and help its leaders build one multiethnic national force. The move is motivated both by Washington's interests in improving its effectiveness in the battle against Al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives, and from the realization that the war on terror necessitates aid in spreading peace and security throughout Afghanistan.

An integrated Afghan Army is seen by many analysts as key to building a national identity. And, although it sounds very promising, memories of fratricidal warfare over the past 10 years has built up ethnic and tribal ties at the expense of "Afghanness." The biggest challenge of all may be finding a way to convince regional warlords that the nationalization of the armed forces is in their interest: More power at the center may mean less at the fringes.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that US troops will soon begin training a national army. The Pentagon says that within four to six weeks 125 to 150 US special forces troops will provide "basic soldier skills" to Afghan national and border forces.

Zalmay Khalilzad, President Bush's special envoy on Afghanistan, said yesterday on the lawn of the US Embassy in Kabul that the US will train Afghan military leaders, who will train an army of 100,000 to 200,000 men. They, in turn, will present a more effective front against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces who are, according to several Afghan and US officials, regrouping and planning to launch guerrilla attacks in the spring.

"Our overall objective is to beat Al Qaeda. But at the same time, we want to prevent conditions that leave a situation of chaos that allowed a terrorist group to sponsor a state," Mr. Khalilzad said. "We are going to start training the Afghan Army as quickly as possible. Some units will be deployed relatively quickly, and may be sent to places where there is conflict."

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