Afghanistan: Fighting among Northern Alliance, UN attacked

Fighting has broken out between rival groups of Northern Alliance soldiers. The fighting is reported to have begun two days ago between troops loyal to Uzbekh warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum and Tajikh soldiers loyal to former President Burhanuddin Rabbani in the north of the province of Kunduz.

Meanwhile the Uzbekhs are accused of having looted 40 tonnes of food from the UN World Food Programme, according to spokesperson Khaled Mansour, who claimed that the food was stolen from a warehouse at Qaisar in the province of Faryeb. He stated that the looters beat up the UN personnel and destroyed their vehicles.

In the west of the country, there are reports that a force of 20,000 armed bandits is about to attack Heart. It is claimed that this force is controlled by a local warlord, who is attacking UN food convoys.

It was this scenario of chaos that was foreseen by Osama Bin Laden and the Taleban when Ahmed Shah Masood was assassinated on September 9th. As US personnel report unusual movements by “shepherds armed with Kalashnikovs” around their bases, the signs are that tension is rising, something is under way and that Afghanistan is potentially a barrel of gunpowder that could explode at any moment.

The suspicion arises that the real battle there is yet to come.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru