ChemistryEquipment: US-Afghan militia to be expanded

Thursday, February 17, 2011

US-Afghan militia to be expanded

As Nato begins pulling out of Afghanistan, it may be that militias fill the void

A US-funded militia in the Afghan province of Helmand is to be expanded, provincial governor Golab Mangal says.

Mr Mangal told BBC Pashto that local armed groups of civilians were an important weapon in the struggle against the Taliban.

About 800 armed men are now being directly funded by the US in Helmand province, which makes them a larger force than the official police.

But they have been criticised for being heavy-handed and unaccountable.

In some cases, critics say, they have apparently been infiltrated by the Taliban.

But Mr Mangal played down the dangers of this happening.

"I give my people full assurances," he said.

"The moment these local forces mistreat people or fail to obey the law, they'll be dealt with. There'll be strict control of them.

"Their job is only to look after the security of their own areas. They don't have any other responsibilities, like running checkpoints or search operations. That's the job of the national police."

The governor warned that if there was no proper control of the recruitment process, there was a danger that those joining the militias might turn to crime or other anti-social and illegal activities, including harassing local people and theft.

"That is a possibility. But so far we've adopted very serious control measures," he said.

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