Gen. Petraeus Runs into Resistance from Karzai over Village Defense Forces - - Joshua Partlow and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post.

As he takes charge of the war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus has met sharp resistance from President Hamid Karzai to an American plan to assist Afghan villagers in fighting the Taliban on their own. A first meeting last week between the new commander and the Afghan president turned tense after Karzai renewed his objections to the plan, according to U.S. officials. The idea of recruiting villagers into local defense programs is a key part of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, and Karzai's stance poses an early challenge to Petraeus as he tries to fashion a collaborative relationship with the Afghan leader.
Of course Karzai will try to resist this plan. If the villagers can defend themselves against the Taliban they will be able to defend themselves against Karzai's forces in due course. Karzai knows that day will come.