Hundreds of heavily armed Pashtun tribal warriors entered the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar today in an apparent bid to grab a share of power.
"They are coming and going, lots of cars full of armed people," a witness said by telephone.
"There is a meeting going on inside [Governor House]," he said, referring to the headquarters of new governor Mr Gul Agha, who took control of Kandahar under a deal between Pashtun leaders on Sunday, two days after Taliban rule there collapsed.
"There are lots of tribesmen standing by with their weapons. They are not letting anybody go inside. They say they want a share in the new government," the witness said.
Afghanistan's designated premier, Mr Hamid Karzai, who negotiated the Taliban handover, delayed a planned trip to Kabul and was meeting commanders to try to resolve the latest power struggle in Kandahar, a source close to his family said.