Afghan warlord 'will fight to stay as governor'

An Afghan warlord who led the worst factional warfare since the fall of the Taliban vowed today to fight on rather than step down as governor of a province where tribal leaders have refused to accept his rule.

With a bandoleer of bullets across his chest, Bacha Khan said he has 6,000 fighters ready to do battle again with forces loyal to the town council, or shura, of Gardez, who oppose his appointment as governor of surrounding Paktia province.

‘‘They are no town council,’’ Mr Khan thundered. ‘‘They are an al Qaida council and a Taliban council.’’

He added: ‘‘We are ready to fight al Qaida today, tomorrow or any time.’’

Gardez shura leaders deny being al Qaida or Taliban members and accuse Mr Khan of being unscrupulous and corrupt.

Fighting between the two sides in January killed at least 60 people. The town council’s refusal to accept Mr Khan, whose appointment was confirmed by the government only after he had declared himself governor, threatens efforts by the interim Afghan administration of Hamid Karzai to extend its authority across the country.

The fighting ended with a ceasefire. Mr Khan and shura members held talks with the government in Kabul, the Afghan capital, this weekend to seek a longer-term solution.

But Mr Khan, speaking at a news conference after the talks, said he would not step down if Mr Karzai appoints another governor.

If ‘‘he makes another decision and changes his mind there will be problems all over Afghanistan,’’ said Mr Khan, who also wore a black turban and camouflaged military jacket.

The news conference started with representatives from all 12 of Paktia’s districts pledging loyalty to Mr Khan one by one.

‘‘If he is not accepted it will cause long-term problems,’’ said Dadmohammed Zadran, one district leader. ‘‘There will be instability in other provinces too.’’

When a journalist asked Mr Khan if he would accept a limited role as governor, some of the representatives shouted: ‘‘We will not accept anyone else.’’

‘‘I have already been appointed as governor,’’ Mr Khan said.

Conflict has brewed between the two sides for months. In December, shura supporters accused Khan of calling in a US airstrike on a convoy of Gardez shura members by wrongly identifying them as al-Qaida and former Taliban members. Twelve members of the convoy were killed.

With no national army, Mr Karzai’s administration has little power to impose peace on feuding warlords with private militias.

Although US forces did not intervene in the fighting, US aircraft dropped leaflets on Gardez, calling for reconciliation.

US soldiers are in the area hunting for members of Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida network and trying to ensure that they do not flee into neighbouring Pakistan.