Warlords in the north and west are looking for ways to demobilize the thousands of armed men in their service. Afghan custom calls for the warlord to supply his troops with food and equipment (which means heavier clothing and fuel in Winter.) Since the foreign aid has not arrived yet, and will not arrive until the auditors are in place, the prospects of stealing foreign aid to support warlord troops appears dim. Some warlords are stealing food shipments (to feed their troops, and to sell to pay the troops) and other assets of aid agencies.

American and special forces from other nations continue to chase down small groups of Taliban and al Qaeda troops in eastern Afghanistan.

The United States apologized to locals and paid compensation for a raid last month that left 15 Afghans dead and several dozen captured. The incident came about when a rival warlord falsely accused the compensated group of harboring armed Taliban fighters.