Afghan President's Alliances With Warlords Raise Concerns

They want to be called "mujahedin" freedom fighters -- those who led the "holy war" against Soviet occupation in the 1980s and then fought the hard-line Taliban during the 1990s.

But many Afghans see them as rapacious warlords who led their country to the brink of disintegration, destroying Kabul and other major cities in an atrocious civil war during the 1990s.

They also are seen as thugs who may have killed, maimed, or terrorized more Afghans than the Soviet invaders.

Most of these strongmen now back incumbent President Hamid Karzai's reelection bid and eye Kabul's "Arg-e Shahi" presidential palace as a citadel of their power and influence.
Afghan President's Alliances With Warlords Raise Concerns‎