Militias in Afghanistan - Part of the Problem and Part of the Solution

Militias are a mixed blessing in Afghanistan.  On one hand they can provide the security that the central Afghan government fails to provide due to its cronyism, corruption, and inept security forces.  On the other hand the militias diminish the authority of the Afghan security forces.  Read a news article that provides a sense of this dilemma in "Militia ties undercut security steps in Afghanistan", Stars and Stripes, December 28, 2010.