Afghanistan's Turf Wars

Karzai nominally rules the nation, but the warlords truly call the shots

HERAT A hero of the anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban resistance, Tajik ISMAIL KHAN, loyal to the Jamiat party, is Afghanistan's most powerful warlord, commanding 15,000 men, the country's largest semiautonomous force.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF The country's most celebrated warlord, Uzbek ABDUL RASHID DOSTUM has long been a strongman in the north. Though he still commands some 7,000 troops, lately his influence has been eroded by the rising power of Tajik USTAD ATTA MOHAMMED, whose force of 5,000 controls much of Mazar. Sporadic clashes between the rival factions have been temporarily defused.

KABUL The battles roiling again among regional warlords have been a headache for...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!