But some warn vigilante justice and shifting allegiances could hinder Al Qaeda hunt. Last December, about 2,000 armed men met at a village near here called Mergha Khel. The gathering was so large that US forces called for helicopter air support and sent representatives to investigate. Fortunately, the Afghan men – all members of the powerful Mangal tribe of Pashtuns – told US forces they were plotting how to support the Afghan government, not overthrow it. Their goal, they said, was to maintain law and order out in the rural areas, where more than 80 percent of Afghans live, something that neither the American coalition forces nor the government of President Hamid Karzai were able to do. So the Mangal tribes had decided to form a militia of their own to keep the peace. Full Story
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