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US General to Help Build Afghan Army VOA News 19 Feb 2002 04:30 UTC 
A U.S. army general is in Kabul to launch a mission to help Afghanistan build a national army and end decades of warlord rule.
Major General Charles Campbell arrived in Kabul Monday for talks with Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai.
General Campbell is leading a team of 15 military advisors who must figure out the best way to assemble and train an army.
Experts say two-million heavily-armed fighters are scattered throughout Afghanistan under the command of competing warlords or tribal leaders who do not answer to the new Afghan central government.
The general's team will decide whether to try to disarm these fighters or bring them into the new army -- a dangerous process that could take years. The general has told the New York Times newspaper that a force of up to 60-thousand soldiers may be appropriate for Afghanistan.
he general's team will make their recommendations to General Tommy Franks, the overall commander of any U.S. military operations in South Asia and the Middle East.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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