Afghan peace convoy faces 'military threat'

Pashtun royalist Syed Hamid Gailani signed the landmark power-sharing accord in Bonn

By CNN's correspondent Kamal Hyder

GARDEZ, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Fighting has broken out between two Pashtun factions in eastern Afghanistan after the acting governor of Paktia province moved his forces close to city of Gardez.

The fighting on Wednesday began as a "peace convoy" of Afghan leaders was holding meetings in the provincial capital of Gardez.

The convoy is led by Pashtun leader Syed Hamid Gailani, who signed the Bonn Agreement last month on behalf of the Pashtun delegation.

His father is widely regarded as the Pashtun spiritual leader.

Bacha Khan, the acting governor, had issued an 11 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET) deadline for the peace convoy to leave the region or else he would capture Gardez by force.

Just hours after the deadline passed, heavy fighting was reported in the southern part of the city between Khan's forces and local residents.

Challenging legitimacy

Gailani has publicly challenged Khan's legitimacy, saying that after consultations with Paktia groups the leaders of the peace convoy had concluded the Paktia people oppose Khan.

"We have determined that Khan was working against the interests of the Pashtun nation at a time when five Pashtun provinces of Afghanistan have shown keen interest in supporting the forces of peace," Gailani told CNN.

In a bid to avert a military confrontation, tribal leader Sulayman Zai, whose forces lie between Khowst and Gardez, had offered to stand as a buffer between Khan and the peace convoy.

Gailani has been traveling around Paktia over the past week in an effort to unite Pashtuns, who are split among three factions.

Greater Paktia, which was split into three provinces by the Taliban, is considered the heartland of the Pashtun people.

The Bonn Agreement that Gailani signed helped establish Afghanistan's current interim government, which will rule the country for six months until a more permanent political structure can be decided.