If they don’t negotiate now, Wazirstan Pathans, sick to death of the Taliban, and bolstered with covert US funds and technical support, will drive them back into Afghanistan.

Does anyone else get the feeling they want to buy time while they regroup?

4shoes on October 6, 2008 at 7:53 AM

I think their serious, our numerous covert cross-border raids into Al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan’s tribal regions have taken a huge toll on their group, it’s what kept them in check for the past four years.

The Taliban entities are too disparate to even bring a unified group to any peace agreement. So, I would talk but keep killing them while talking. Release no prisoners, pay no compensation. Pay no Danegeld as Kipling would have said. The Pakistanis are getting fed up with the violence and the Afghan army is growing. We will soon be able to bring more forces to bear as Iraq winds down. Time is on our side if we are patient.

I will just say that it is widely believed in military circles that Iranian cadre are teaching technical and tactical use of SAM systems in RC South.

hawkdriver on October 6, 2008 at 11:51 AM

Has there been any confirmed use of any MANPAD or SHORAD vs. coalition A/C? I have not heard of any.

King of the Britons on October 6, 2008 at 11:44 AM

I will just say that it is widely believed in military circles that Iranian cadre are teaching technical and tactical use of SAM systems in RC South.

Sorry … I said I was going but I forgot a reference. My kids gave me Christie Blachford’s (a Toronto columnist – radio and newspapers) book on Canadian Military deaths in Afghanistan in August for my birthday, so I’ve read that too. She’s pro-military and the deaths were just used to weave the story around. It’s a good book … she was in Kandahar and went out on missions with the troops. Forgot the title.

First hand.

hawkdriver on October 6, 2008 at 11:34 AM

Is this something that you cannot talk about? Iranian weapons in Afghanistan are nothing new, nor are American or Soviet weapons. The EFPs are in Afghanistan, but it is believed that they migrated from the AQ in Iraq and their tactics to Afghanistan as opposed to coming directly from Iran to Afghanistan. Are you saying that you have first hand knowledge of a more extensive Iranian involvement in the Neo-Taliban insurgency? I am not trying to be antagonistic in this, but I am trying to possibly learn something that I have not seen in my research yet. Any sources besides first hand?

Sorry. Only what I remember reading on the net …

There are some NGOs in Afghanistan trying to help promote farming and I’ve looked at some of their sites … but most NGOs suffer extreme BDS and reading through that crap gives me headaches [ I am neither pro nor anti bush so don't start ].

I gotta get some work done today so this better be my last one for now … bye all.

I’m left to presume you are either you are not from here or you are against the 2nd Amendment. But I digress.

Canada. Not anti-gun but don’t own any.

You seem to know little about Afghanistan for, while poppy are grown pretty much wherever water is readily available, Helmud in SW Afghanistan is where most of it is grown, far from Waziristan and Pakistan’s tribal area. The Brits and US are heavily engaged against the Taliban there (see Michael Yon’s site and others). The Taliban are far from being “confined” to the Pak/Afghan border area.

I’ve read “A short walk in the Hindu Kush”. Also “The Kite Runner” and the same author’s other book. Most of Totten’s stuff and some of Yon’s. A few other sites.

What I said was that the Taleban are Pashtun. The Pashtun regions straddle the border but comprise a large chunk of Afghanistan. Most of SW and S central, iirc. The Pashtun also live in Pakistan, including all of Waziristan and, iirc, all of Pakistan to the west of Waziristan.

I remember that the Brits were in Kandahar and Helmud but I’m fuzzy on whether Helmud is specifically Pashtun, I think so but I’m assuming that this is a closed book test so I won’t look it up.

As far as I know everyone in Afghanistan grows poppies if they have water and unless they can grow something else. The Taleban are not especially welcome in Northern Afghanistan …

Did I pass ?

King of the Britons on October 6, 2008 at 11:03 AM

First hand.

/keep the powder dry

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That’s only polite.********************************Taliban suing for pe…

gh on October 6, 2008 at 11:15 AM

Can you provide references or sources on that? Like I mentioned, I have been doing extensive research on the Neo-Taliban insurgency and have not come across anything to suggest what you say. I would actually have to say on the contrary, there is much evidence that would suggest that Iran is NOT involved in supporting the Taliban and especially not the opium trade. You could argue that by forcing the return of the Shia refugees in Iran back to Afghanistan that this does not help the Karzai government, as it adds to a the already numerous problems that they have, but that is about it.

he deal would be some kind of autonomy for Waziristan and the Pashtun areas of Afghanistan. The Taliban are armed because they are Pashtun. They get guns at about age 7. Your second amendment would go over very well in Afghanistan. The opium trade is a problem for the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Pashtun regions are confined, mostly to the Pak/Afghan border. So the export of opium won’t be a Taleban problem.

gh on October 6, 2008 at 10:26 AM

I’m left to presume you are either you are not from here or you are against the 2nd Amendment. But I digress.

You seem to know little about Afghanistan for, while poppy are grown pretty much wherever water is readily available, Helmud in SW Afghanistan is where most of it is grown, far from Waziristan and Pakistan’s tribal area. The Brits and US are heavily engaged against the Taliban there (see Michael Yon’s site and others). The Taliban are far from being “confined” to the Pak/Afghan border area.

The Iran and Afghanistan border is mostly (if not all) outside the Pashtun (Taleban) region. The Iranians are supposed to have agents in Kabul and elsewhere and are supposed to be heavily involved in the opium trade.

The Iranians may not be involved with the Taleban per-se but only for lack of opportunity. They reputedly “host” one of Bin Laden’s sons and possibly some other AQ members. Never seen any documentation on those rumours though.

The US supported the mujahedeen (including Bin Laden) through the ISI for the preceding 10 years.

History is messy.

gh on October 6, 2008 at 11:07 AM

Especially when the Religion of Peace is in the mix. Something we should have known before getting involved with the mujahadeen in the first place.

The Taliban gave aid and comfort to AQ.
The American government did not assist McVeigh in his terrorist acts.

It’s more accurate to think of the Taleban and AQ as allies than sponsor/client.

Al Qaeda was formally created about 1992 and were already in Afghanistan before the Taliban took power in 1996 since Bin Laden was there fighting the soviets who left Feb 15, 1989.
Wikipedia suggests that 1989 is when Omar started his school (Taleban are his students). Before 1989 there were only mujahedeen.

The US supported the mujahedeen (including Bin Laden) through the ISI for the preceding 10 years.

History is messy.

I agree we probably still face a long road. I just say there is a reduction in AQ influence and strength and I wouldn’t consider it such an up-hill battle against the Taliban without Iranian influence. The scary thing with the Iranians is the SA16 and Stinger-like SAMs and their shaped IED munitions.

hawkdriver on October 6, 2008 at 9:44 AM

I am just curious – what are your sources that indicate that Iran is in any way significantly involved in the Neo-Taliban insurgency? I have been doing extensive research into the Neo-Taliban insurgency and have not come across anything that would suggest that at all.

Lol … we (in Canada) have no first amendment rights.
gh on October 6, 2008 at 10:47 AM

Yeah, I was going to point that out, but I had to make a phone call.

If Obama wins we will probably be in the same boat.

If the Taliban really wants to separate itself from bin Laden and Zawahiri, they should demonstrate that by informing the Saudis of their location. That would be the quickest method of divorce. As for Mullah Omar, the US wants him in relation to the 9/11 attacks, and it would be difficult to see how we would let that claim go — or how Omar could credibly break with bin Laden personally without turning the two top AQ leaders over to NATO.

Let’s see…if the Taliban turns over bin Laden and Zawahiri, would we let Mullah Omar alone?

You bet! Let’s do a deal…

Your first amendment? Not so much.

Lol … we (in Canada) have no first amendment rights. Read Mark Steyn. Still, we’re surviving. They haven’t managed to take the guns yet but they wasted billions registering them. Our murder rate is very low here … and our problems with the religion of peace are much less (no Dearbornistan) but I think we’ve just been lucky so far. Must be too cold for the camels (Australia is smaller than us and they have had problems so it’s not that we’re too small — population-wise — to notice). We have lots of immigration but fewer illegals (more “refugees”).