Afghanistan could descend into civil war – UK military chief

LONDON (Reuters) – The head of Britain’s armed forces warned there is the possibility that Afghanistan could be on a path to civil war as American and other foreign troops leave.

Nick Carter, Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff, speaking after it was announced most British soldiers have left Afghanistan, said it was “plausible” that the country’s state would collapse without international forces there.

Afghanistan could see a situation like the country’s 1990s civil war “where you would see a culture of warlordism and you might see some of the important institutions like security forces fracturing along ethnic, or for that matter, tribal lines,” Carter said.

“If that were to happen, I guess the Taliban would control part of the country. But, of course, they would not control all of the country.”

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Paul Sandle)