Taliban: 'We cannot win war in Afghanistan'
An odd newspaper story citing an unnamed veteran Taliban fighter, except the interviewer was Michael Semple, an accomplished ex-UN diplomat in Afghanistan until expelled by Karzai:
Quote:
Any Taliban leader expecting to be able to capture Kabul is making a grave mistake. Nevertheless, the leadership also knows that it cannot afford to acknowledge this weakness. To do so would undermine the morale of Taliban personnel. The leadership knows the truth – that they cannot prevail over the power they confront...It would take some kind of divine intervention for the Taliban to win this war...At least 70 per cent of the Taliban are angry at al-Qaeda. Our people consider al-Qaeda to be a plague that was sent down to us by the heavens...To tell the truth, I was relieved at the death of Osama [bin Laden]. Through his policies, he destroyed Afghanistan. If he really believed in jihad he should have gone to Saudi Arabia and done jihad there, rather than wrecking our country.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ghanistan.html
There is a bit more on the original publisher's website:http://www.newstatesman.com/politics...member-taliban
'New generation' of tech-savvy Taliban fighters
Quote:
Once seen as uneducated thugs, the Taliban are producing dangerous new fighters who use the latest digital technology to plan and publicise attacks against NATO and Afghan forces, analysts say.
The militants recently released a video of a June 1 attack on a US military base in the eastern province of Khost, on the border with Pakistan, showcasing far more developed techniques to plan the assault than previously thought.
The footage shows the fighters, in military uniforms, being briefed by their commander using a model and satellite images of the target, Forward Operating Base Salerno.
http://news.yahoo.com/generation-tec...01.html?_esi=1
Money & Recruiting: two reports
Hat tip to Circling The Lion's Den for the pointers to two studies, the first on ' Haqqani Network Financing: The Evolution of an Industry' for CTC @ West Point by Gretchen Peters:
Quote:
Her groundbreaking study shows in some detail how this remarkable Afghan clan has been able to build up unique cash-generating business enterprises to finance its very effective campaign against the Karzai government and its Western allies. From its base in Pakistan's North Waziristan - where it exists with the blessing of the ISI - the Haqqanis have created a mafia-like empire that now stretches across Pakistan and into the Gulf.
Link to report:http://www.ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/u...ort__Final.pdf
Secondly, from a rather unusual angle IMO:
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The European Asylum Support Office has published a report on Afghanistan aimed at providing information to support government officials who assess asylum applications from Afghan nationals....gives an overview of Taliban strategy for the recruitment of fighters......Many interesting little nuggets in this report which also contains a very detailed bibliography.
Link to report:http://www.statewatch.org/news/2012/...ecruitment.pdf
Link to Circling The Lion's Den:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot.co.uk/
Briefing Paper: Taliban Perspectives on Reconciliation
As yet unread RUSI Report:
Quote:
With the Western military draw-down in Afghanistan drawing closer, attention now turns to the shape of the post-2014 political settlement. Some form of accommodation with the Taliban will be required for a stable and secure Afghanistan....presents the findings of discussions with senior Taliban figures, suggesting that the Taliban and the international community may in fact have reconcilable positions.
This paper works to draw out the Taliban's views on three key issues:
International terrorism and the Taliban’s links with Al-Qa’ida and other armed non-state actors
The potential for a ceasefire
Parameters for conflict resolution and continuing presence of US military bases.
There is a short podcast too:http://www.rusi.org/publications/oth...504A22C99538B/
The official Taliban response
Hat tip to Circling the Lion's Den for providing the comments by the official Taliban to the RUSI report:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot....-wants-to.html
Quote:
in July, the Taliban wasted no time in characterising Semple's contact as "mentally insane" for suggesting that many Taliban supporters regarded al-Qaeda as a "plague".
This time, the four unnamed Taliban figures interviewed say that the organisation's leadership and base deeply regret their past association with al-Qaeda and that they would obey a call by Mullah Omar to renounce any links and prevent them operating on Afghan soil. They are even willing to allow US forces to stay on Afghan soil under certain circumstances......
....in a statement issued to mark the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban reiterated its attitude towards al-Qaeda: "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again clarifies to the entire world including America that we are neither a threat to anyone nor will we let our soil be used to harm anyone. It is our due legal and religious right to defend our homeland and establish in it an Islamic system and we shall continue with our sacred struggle and Jihad against the invaders until we attain this right and we sincerely believe in being victorious in achieving this ambition and defeating the enemy."
Quote:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this malicious and strictly propaganda based report of the said think-tank and declares it has no plans of prolonging the American invasion of Afghanistan even for a single day. Our religion, national interests, national pride and values forbid us from making such illegitimate deals or agreeing to the continuation of invasion or accepting their revolting presence due to fear and our own safety. We believe that this report by the so called think-tank, based on the opinions of a few anonymous faces, is fabricated and consider it the direct work and move of the intelligence circles prepared for its people and for raising the moral of its defeated troops.