Commander Azizullah stems from the Tajk minority in Afghanistan and has been working with American Special Forces for many years. There are those who claim he leads a group of mercenaries described as “the most effective fighting formation in Afghanistan,” and there are those who claim he is guilty of murder, rape, desecration of mosques and a sworn enemy of the more dominant Pashtuns. A recent Report on Azizullah went at great length to describe his brutality, but most American military people dismiss the charges as an attempt to shut down a fighting group that is feared by the Taliban. There are those who want him removed immediately from any connection with American military forces and there are those who want more fighters like him in the battle against the Taliban.
Take your selection as to which version is close to the truth. Frankly, there are many people in Afghanistan who do not trust this man, and although bias is present in any description of those fighting in Afghanistan, perhaps caution might be part of our relations with this man.
