The government in Kabul has reached an agreement with two rival regional leaders in northern Afghanistan under which they will merge their forces, according to a senior advisor to the Afghan interior minister. There have been repeated outbreaks of factional fighting between soldiers loyal to the two leaders, Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Muhammad. The government’s attempt to broker a deal comes as Kabul begins an ambitious United Nations-backed programme to disarm many of Afghanistan’s private militias. Afghan officials say that under the deal, armed fighters loyal to General Dostum and General Mohammed will be merged under a single neutral commander to be appointed by Kabul. General Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek and one of the most powerful leaders in northern Afghanistan, is also President Karzai’s special representative there. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.