21.   A second lesson is that incidents were discussed, immediately and quietly, by local military commanders.

22.   A small number of U.S. and British troops were battling the Taliban inside the fort on Monday afternoon, alongside Northern Alliance soldiers, local commanders said.

23.   A small number of American special forces and British troops were battling the Taliban inside the fort Monday afternoon, alongside Northern Alliance soldiers, local commanders said.

24.   According to Murad, that was interpreted by some local Philippine military commanders as a signal to launch offensives, and fighting broke out.

25.   After Akhmad, a string of major local Taliban commanders fell in line.

26.   Both programs expanded greatly last year due to record oil revenues and bypass the military high command and state governors by funneling money directly to local military commanders.

27.   But that goal is not necessarily crucial for the local Afghan commanders, who want most of all to cleanse their land of bin Laden and his foreign fighters.

28.   But the local military commander, Deogratias Tutuza, denied that people in the Ninga and Buraniro camps were kept there with terror.

29.   But then-Defense Secretary William Cohen disagreed, and publicly blamed Brig. Gen. Terryl Schwalier, the local commander, for not preparing adequate defenses against terrorist attack.

30.   But the new transitional administration takes power on Saturday, leaving the prisoners in the custody of a variety of local commanders and warlords.