Karzai and Governor Noor feud over armed warlords

P.J Tobia, an American reporter based in Kabul with the non-profit Killid Group, is reporting that the governor of Balkh province, Atta Mohammad Noor, is accusing President Karzai of arming local warlords as retribution for Noor's support of Abdullah Abdullah in the August presidential elections. Noor's spokesman claimed Karzai was providing these weapons to escalate violence in Balkh, forcing Noor's resignation.

Rohulla Samun, a Karzai ally, said that there is no weapons distribution programme and that Noor is, "just using this as an excuse to kill Pashtun tribal leaders he doesn't like." Oh good, glad that's all that's going on. Noor, by the way, is Tajik.

The article said it was inconclusive whether or not there were actually weapons being distributed, and though the government suggests it will investigate the matter, who do it or when that would happen was also unclear.