Under a program called demobilization and reintegration, or DDR, the Afghan government, begun a process to disarm the militia groups. Although progress has been slower than expected, the process is expected to be complete by June 2005.
"This must happen now with the mandate from the people and all indications are that this is a concern, a high concern of the people," Khalilzad said. "The collection of weapons, the demobilization of militias, and the government will have to deliver on that."
That's the good part, and it's to be hoped that Karzai's government, with the right amount of American support, will be able to take advantage of two and a half decade's worth of cumulative public war-weariness to implement disarmament, either through its political or military force. Unfortunately, there's also this:
According to U.S. estimates, poppy cultivation is expected to jump 40 percent this year. Twenty-eight of 34 Afghan provinces grow poppy and the number of acres under poppy cultivation grew from 197,684 acres in 2003 to 247,105 acres in 2004. The country supplies 75 percent of the world's opium. Expert say the drugs trade, which the Taliban had managed to control during its draconian rule of the country, may be contributing as much as 60 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product. ... more »