The United States says it will consider some arms sales to Afghanistan -- but only to the transitional Afghan government and international peacekeepers there.
The U-S State Department announced the exceptions to the longtime Afghan arms sale ban on Tuesday. Spokesman Richard Boucher says any application for such sales will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
U-S arms sales remain prohibited to any other entity in Afghanistan, including the Taleban, the al-Qaida terrorist network and local warlords.
Weapons are plentiful in Afghanistan after more than 20 years of war, and the United States wants to help the new transitional government assert control over the country.