With Afghanistan's historic presidential elections just weeks away, a battle that has broken out for control of the country's western provinces highlights how difficult it will be to provide security for the vote, analysts say.
The fighting Saturday erupted between forces loyal to military strongman Ismael Khan, the ethnic Tajik governor of the nation's most prosperous city, and militias commanded by a rival warlord.
Over 20 people have been killed so far in the conflict which pits the governor's men in Shindand and Chisti districts in Herat province against militias loyal to commander Amanullah Khan, a Pashtun.
It is unclear which side started the battle but forces from three surrounding provinces launched a combined attack on Shindand airport and its surroundings.
"We've got coalitions of forces from [the provinces of] Ghor, Badgdis, Farah, and an almost encirclement of Herat. It appears to be a co-ordinated consortium of forces," said Nick Downie, security coordinator for the Afghanistan NGO Security Office.
Sporadic fighting between local factional commanders in western Afghanistan has intensified in recent months forcing foreign aid organisations to roll back their presence in the country's west which had been considered safe.
Last month Medecins Sans Frontieres quit Afghanistan following the murder of five of their staff in Badghis province in June.
There were a number of skirmishes between militias in Ghor province last month, with an attack on a disarmament convoy aiming to demobilize local fighters in which three US soldiers were injured.
Downie said that for militias hostile to Ismael Khan to be showing their hand so close to the election, they must believe they have a chance of success.
"I think this is a point of no return for those forces. They must believe they have good chances, because they are exposing themselves," he said.
Late Saturday, President Hamid Karzai's office issued an unusually strong statement condemning the fighting and saying it was the "government's duty to prevent any kind of threats" to the country's first presidential elections on Oct. 9.
"The government will respond to the situation in Shindand and Herat Province in a firm manner and serious measures will be taken against the latest military operations," the statement said.
A senior defense ministry official told reporters that government forces would back Ismael Khan if the fighting intensified.
Around 900 people took to the streets of Herat on Saturday carrying banners reading "Death to the Central Government" and "Why Does the Central Government Not Chop Off the Hands of those Who Attack Our Peaceful City?"
Factional fighting adds to the many security problems facing Afghanistan, which is also plagued by attacks from members of the ousted Taliban regime, who have vowed to disrupt the presidential elections.
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