Community policing Afghan style

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

The new Iraqi prime minister is given five minutes notice that George Bush is in Baghdad. He is summoned to the US embassy in a former Saddam palace for the privilege. He then has to engage in a video conference debate with Bush's cabinet in Camp David.

And they say it's a sovereign country.

Another supposedly sovereign country not far away (just the other side of Iran, in fact)is also causing the west some difficulties. Western diplomats are shocked at community policing Afghan style. This amounts to remobilising the disbanded and discredited militias which have run much of the country in the past.

A direct breach of UN policy which wants such groups outside the official police and army disarmed, and in contradiction of the statements by President Karzai that no such forces or authorisation for them yet exists, the militias are back on the move. One exists in Helmand province, the southern area where British troops are now stationed in large numbers. Far from being outlawed, it has been approved by the region's governor and operates under the command of his deputy, according to today's Independent.

One immediate problem for the British troops is that they cannot distinguish these supposed allies from the resurgent Taliban.

Those who say we can't leave Afghanistan because both sides are so terrible have been paying even less attention than usual. This is where we came in nearly five years ago. Then the Taliban was defeated but is now stronger than at any time since 2001. Erstwhile allies of the west in the militias are now becoming enemies.

So what exactly have we achieved?

6/14/2006 04:35:00 PM | Permalink