Rogue Arbakai militias abuse rural Afghans (damaging any government legitimacy & the US solutions)

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

Villagers and regional leaders accuse semi-official Arbakai of extortion and violence as country forms new local force.

Mujib Mashal | Last Modified: Jan 12 2011 11:39 GMT

"At night, they come out on the roads with their faces covered," said Obaid Sediq, a resident of Central Baghlan in northeastern Afghanistan. "Many times they have stopped our car and emptied our pockets. They have guns and you can't say anything back."

The Arbakai, semi-official local militias, have committed tremendous abuses in Afghanistan's northeastern provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan. President Hamid Karzai finally ordered their disarmament last month.

These militias are known to collect forced "taxes" from feeble locals, create illegal checkpoints, seize property, and detain people in private jails - all at gun point and sanctioned by the government in Kabul.

This widespread abuse damages government legitimacy and casts doubt over a recent program to create local police forces in other parts of the country. It also brings into question the effectiveness of the quick solutions sought to the security problems in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/201111114112880358.html

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Long and insightful article.


A security void remains in many areas of Afghanistan where Afghan National Police
and the new Afghan Local Police struggle to safeguard civilians and public infrastructure (Reuters)