CIA: Afghanistan could descend into civil war

The US Central Intelligence Agency has warned Afghanistan could descend into civil war unless rival warlords are restrained, according to reports in the US today.

In a confidential report for the US government, the CIA warned the seeds of conflict have already been sown in Afghanistan and added that the interim administration installed by the UN is not strong enough to bring stability to the country.

A senior CIA official said: "There is a medium-term potential for renewal of civil conflict and problems out there that need to be addressed."

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has called for the training of an Afghan army in preference to expanding the UN peacekeeping force.

However, the CIA report said this army will take too long to train to prevent the re-emergence of bitter rivalries which could lead to civil war.

British instructors are currently training just 600 Afghan troops.

Reports suggested that US soldiers still fighting in Afghanistan could be given extra duties, including deterring civil conflicts by paying off those who co-operate and having the options of air strikes against those who do not.

Another option is to put international advisors into Afghan cities to encourage peaceful resolutions of local conflicts.

US President George W Bush’s senior advisor on Afghan affairs, Zalmay Khalilzad, is due to arrive in the country to assess the situation today.