Warlord behind Afghan rocket attacks

Afghan security people guard on the rooftop of a shop in a closed market in Khost, Paktia province

GARDEZ, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Forces loyal to a former governor in eastern Afghanistan have been blamed for series of rocket attacks that left 50 people dead and destroyed hundreds of houses and shops over the weekend.

The Afghan Defense Ministry told CNN that troops of former governor Bacha Khan fired over 200 rockets into the center of the provincial capital Gardez between Saturday night and Monday.

All of the casualties were said to be noncombatants.

The interim government has asked Bacha Khan to come to Kabul, where they intend to investigate the attacks.

Bacha Khan had been appointed governor of the restive Paktia province several months ago, but he was ousted by local forces, who refused to let him maintain power.

Rivalries between warlords have turned parts of Paktia into warzones, terrifying residents, with some saying they miss the more stringent control of the Taliban.

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Gardez was the scene of fierce fighting late January between shura forces and Khan's rival Pashtun militia. The shura is a council representing all the clans and tribes of Paktia.

Following the fighting, Khan was stripped of his role as governor.

Khan vowed to fight to retake control of the area, underscoring the fragile nature of peace after the Taliban's fall.

"I will capture Paktia province," Bacha Khan said in February. "I am the legal representative of the people, appointed by the interim administration, and I have 100 percent support of the people."

The violence was the worst known factional fighting since the U.N.-backed interim administration was installed December 22 in Kabul. It also was a major embarrassment for the temporary ruling body to have one of its appointees rejected by force.

The power struggle highlighted the daunting task faced by the interim government to unify a nation that has been traditionally ruled by warlord-led tribes.