Monday, October 19, 2009

Taliban not main Afghan enemy

US intelligence reports: 90% of the insurgents battling US and NATO troops in Afghanistan are not religiously motivated Taliban and Al Qaeda warriors, but a new generation of tribal fighters vying for control of territory, mineral wealth, and smuggling routes,
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3 comments:

  1. Jemmy HopeOctober 19, 2009 at 5:12 AM

    I'm expecting a poll that shows that this is wrong. Guess the source (no prizes).

    ReplyDelete
  2. ananOctober 19, 2009 at 11:06 PM

    I read the article. The author didn't seem to be well informed. However, it is important to remember:
    1. There are over 20 major "Taliban" militias
    2. Some are international terrorists
    3. Some are linked to international terrorists
    4. Some are local groups with subregional concerns (only their particular part of Pakistan or Afghanistan)
    5. Some are really local war lords who are called "Taliban"
    6. Many are really organized crime outfits. For that matter so are many so called pro GIRoA warlords

    This organized crime problem is one of Afghanistan's largest. How to deal with it?

    One model to reduce violence is what New York did in the 1990s, reducing violent deaths from 10-12/day to 1/day.

    The ANA and ANP need to be signficantly expanded so that they can provide a national security blanket, and discourage organized crime, local warlords and ordinary crime. Then the Quetta Shura Taliban, Haqqani, and Hekmatyur's HiG will stand out. Of these Haqqani is an international terrorist. The Quetta Shura Taliban is second most closely linked to global terrorism. Hekmatyur is percieved by many Afghans as an old hand of the ISI and Saudis. Can he be bribed to switch?

    In public opinion polls, Afghans say that security is their most important priority. Much of this insecurity does not derive from the Quetta Shura Taliban. Hell some of the organized crime chieftons are even inside the GIRoA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jemmy HopeOctober 20, 2009 at 11:45 AM

    What, no poll?

    ReplyDelete

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