HIGHLIGHTS: Ultimatum Served to Zadran To Surrender By Wednesday||The Battle for Control of Paktia Biggest Challenge to Karzai Authority Ever||Paktia & Khost Former Taliban Strongholds||STORY: Afghan leader Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday a large military force was poised to capture renegade warlord Padshah Khan Zadran if he did not surrender by the time an ultimatum to give himself up expires on Wednesday. (Read photo caption)

Karzai said he still hoped the issue could be resolved peacefully, but if necessary U.S. forces in Afghanistan would be asked to help seize Padshah Khan, who was sacked as governor of eastern Paktia province in February.

The warlord, locked in a battle for control of Paktia with his Karzai-appointed replacement, Taj Mohammad Wardak, rained around 500 rockets on the provincial capital of Gardez last week. He was then set a seven-day ultimatum to surrender or face war.

The rocket attack killed 30 civilians and wounded 100 more in the biggest challenge to Karzai's authority since he took power last December, when Taliban were ousted in a U.S.-led war for harbouring Osama bin Laden.

Karzai has already called in ex-king Mohammad Zahir Shah to help negotiate with Padshah Khan -- who has boasted of a force of about 3,000 fighters -- and U.S. military forces have made clear the warlord should no longer be regarded as an ally.
Paktia Governor Wardak, who Karzai ordered to replace Padshah Khan after complaints from tribal leaders, said U.S. forces had seized a private radio station used by Padshah Khan to broadcast his views in Paktia and neighbouring Khost province, which the warlord regards as his sphere of influence.

Padshah Khan's brother Kamal Khan has been running Khost province while another Karzai appointee, Hakim Taniwal, waits for security to improve so he can take over as governor.

Wardak said he believed Padshah Khan was behind a rocket attack on Monday night on Khost Airport where U.S. troops and Special Forces are based.

Both Paktia and Khost, ethnic Pashtun majority provinces bordering Pakistan, were once regarded as Taliban strongholds, and have been the scene of widespread hunts for bin Laden's al Qaeda followers, including the Battle of Shah-I-Kot in March, the biggest U.S.-led ground attack of the war.

PHOTO CAPTION

Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai waves to the crowd as he inspects troops in Kabul in April. REUTERS/Peter Andrews