Warlord battles continue in western Afghanistan

[dArKeR]

Fighting between militias in western Afghanistan continued yesterday with exchanges of artillery fire, a rebel commander said, as the government prepared to send a delegation to investigate.

The clashes in Herat province, where up to 21 people were reported killed on Saturday, highlight Afghanistan's enduring insecurity as it prepares for milestone elections.

President Hamid Karzai and the US military expressed concern about the violence, but sent no forces to stop it.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/08/16/2003198975

[dArKeR]

1. Afghan fighting bodes ill for Karzai

With Afghanistan's historic presidential elections just weeks away, a battle that has broken out for control of the country's western provinces highlights how difficult it will be to provide security for the vote, analysts say.

The fighting Saturday erupted between forces loyal to military strongman Ismael Khan, the ethnic Tajik governor of the nation's most prosperous city, and militias commanded by a rival warlord.

Over 20 people have been killed so far in the conflict which pits the governor's men in Shindand and Chisti districts in Herat province against militias loyal to commander Amanullah Khan, a Pashtun.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/08/16/2003198982