Afghan Warlord to Face Charges

KABUL, Afghanistan — A renegade commander blamed for violence that left dozens dead and injured in western Afghanistan’s Herat province last month will be punished as a criminal, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said.

His comments coincided with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission saying it suspected that commander Amanullah Khan had been behind the beheading and skinning of several supporters of Herat Gov. Ismail Khan during four days of fighting.

Karzai told a delegation of elders from Herat city, 600 miles west of the capital, that to prevent further bloodshed, Amanullah Khan had been taken to Kabul to face justice, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. It was reported previously that the warlord had been detained Aug. 27.

Amanullah Khan had agreed to a U.S.-brokered cease-fire after sweeping through several government strongholds, including the Shindand airbase south of Herat city, in August.

Amanullah Khan accuses Ismail Khan of failing to allow him any influence in his administration. The fighting occurred amid rising violence by the ousted Taliban and their Islamic militant allies ahead of landmark presidential elections scheduled for Oct. 9.

Ismail Khan suspects that some Taliban remnants supported the warlord and that members of Karzai’s Cabinet encouraged his offensive.

Further escalation of fighting in Herat could damage Karzai’s standing in an election that is likely to be dominated by security and ethnic issues.