Definition of "warlord" []

• A military commander exercising civil power in a region, whether in nominal allegiance to the national government or in defiance of it. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term warlord is applied to the commanders of the Afghan resistance who fell out with each other after the defeat of the Soviets."
• "This NY Times article on a Pentagon-funded Afghani warlord is classic - the US military has anointed an illiterate highway police officer with more wealth (gets paid $2.5 million/month!!), and more power than any democratically elected or appointed official in the region!"
• "Another Northern Alliance warlord is running for first VP."