The failure of the Afghan people to step up consistently against the Taliban frustrates American commanders. But now anti-Taliban militias have begun to form in several parts of the country, giving hopes of a large-scale rebellion.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the emergence of the militias has so encouraged American and Afghan officials that they are planning to spur the growth of similar organized groups throughout the Taliban heartland in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
The support so far has been mostly in the form of ammunition and food. Training and communications equipment may come next.
It's an ambitious and risky initiative against the Taliban, who the Times says are fighting more vigorously than at any time since 2001. The idea is to get the Afghan people to take some responsibility for their own security and supplement American and Afghan forces already there and the new ones expected to arrive next year.
The risk, according to the Times, is that the small groups could turn on each other or against the Afghan and American governments as has happened in the past. The plan is similar to a movement that unfolded in Iraq in late 2006 in which Sunni troops turned against Islamic extremists.
American and Afghan commanders need to keep a tight watch on the groups. We don't need to be creating more warlords who have little respect for their government's authority.
