Afghan President Removes Three Militia Commanders

[maddezmom]

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has removed three powerful militia leaders from posts as army commanders as part of a shake-up aimed at ensuring an October election is safe and fair, a spokesman said on Tuesday.



The militia commanders include General Ustad Atta Mohammad, whose men have often clashed with ethnic-Uzbek forces of a rival commander. He is one of Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s most powerful faction commanders and helped defeat the Taliban in 2001.


"This is part of a series of changes that will continue," said presidential spokesman, Jawed Ludin. "Our aim was to give people assurances."


"If concern exists in some parts that people are facing a security threat, it is the government's duty to provide security and allow safe and free elections," Ludin said.

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MORE:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&ncid=586&e=8&u=/nm/20040720/wl_nm/afghan_army_dc

[uptown ruler]

1. are we still there?

Spreading The Word

[daleo]

2. Sounds like they have went back to being warlords, with new titles

"The appointment of two of the men as provincial police chiefs and the third as a provincial governor appears to address that."