UN prepares to disarm 100,000 Afghan militiamen

From: "spiker"
Fwd: UN prepares to disarm 100,000 Afghan militiamen

From: "Billy-Joe..Mauldin"

What a joke! Are these people stupid or suicidal! The Afghan's have not
been dumbed down like "western" people have! Remember the "warlords" of
Mogadishu! Further, neither Russia or the US could not disarm these
"free, liberated" people!

Billy-Joe..Mauldin

Yahoo! AFP - Sept 22, 2003
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/

Afghanistan prepares to disarm 100,000 militiamen
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Liberated Afghan woman waves an American flag made in China

Mon Sep 22, 1:46 AM ET

KABUL (AFP) - The disarmament of some 100,000 Afghan militiamen could
start as early as next month following a long-delayed reshuffle of the
defence ministry, United Nations (news - web sites) officials said.

UN senior adviser Sultan Aziz said disarmament could begin in late October
with pilot programs to disarm 1,000 men each in the northern city of
Kunduz, Gardez in the southeast and the main northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
"Within that first month we should be able to cover both Kunduz and Gardez
and then we would move to Mazar," he told reporters.

The disarmament drive could then move to southern city Kandahar and the
capital Kabul from early December.

President Hamid Karzai on Saturday announced key new appointments to the
defence ministry, under a reform drive aimed at allowing the disarmament,
demobilisation and reintegration of militiamen, many of whom are from
private armies loyal to warlords and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance figures.

The UN had called for urgent reform of the ethnic Tajik-dominated
ministry, saying it needed to be more representative of Afghanistan (news
- web sites)'s ethnic mix before disarmament could start.

Eight appointments were given to members of the Pashtun majority, who feel
they have been sidelined in the Tajik-dominated post-Taliban administration.

The deputy ministerial position has been given to a Pashtun, Major General
Farooq Wardak.

He replaced General Bismullah Khan, a close ally of powerful Tajik Defence
Minister Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who was made army chief.

Five Tajiks, four Hazaras, two Uzbeks, one Baluchi and one Nuristani were
also named to new positions, the ministry said.

Fahim had been accused of packing the ministry with fellow Tajiks from the
powerful anti-Taliban Northern Alliance faction which dominates the
government of Karzai, himself a Pashtun.

Militiamen had been reluctant to hand over weapons while the ministry was
dominated by a rival faction.

The disarmament drive is aimed at disabling private warlord armies and
militia factions who are accused of fuelling rife insecurity through
ongoing clashes.
"We want to focus on those who are factional groups because they're the
people that are threatening people in different areas," Aziz said.

The biggest challenge would be finding jobs for tens of thousands of
former militiamen, he said.
"This means that security has to improve and it also means that the
ability of the government to expand the economic base has to proceed
accordingly to allow to absorb people into meaningful jobs."

Employment schemes are being worked out with the government, UN agencies,
non-governmental organisations and donor countries.
"The idea is not only just to provide work but also to provide the
possibility for businesses so people can actually get out of the black
economy and start operating in a proper and profitable manner," Aziz said.

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