The Taliban collection (2006 onwards)

[marct]

FYI

Return of the Taliban
coming Oct. 03, 2006 at 9pm (check local listings)

(60 minutes) FRONTLINE reports from the lawless Pakistani tribal areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and reveals how the area has fallen under the control of a resurgent Taliban militia. Despite the presence of 80,000 Pakistani troops, the Taliban and their supporters continue to use the region as a launching pad for attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Off limits to U.S. troops by agreement with Pakistan's president and long suspected of harboring Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, the area is now considered a failed state. President Pervez Musharraf tells FRONTLINE reporter Martin Smith that Pakistan's strategy, which includes cash payments to militants who lay down their arms, has clearly foundered. In a region little understood because it is closed to most observers, FRONTLINE investigates a secret front in the war on terror.

This documentary is already playing in the Canadian press.

Marc

[SSG Rock]

I was astonished this morning, as I was going through my morning email subscriptions to find that The Philadelphia Times printed an article stating that Senate Majority Leader Frist was quoted as saying the Taliban will never be defeated militarily. I quite agree with that assessment, and although late in coming, perhaps our civilian leaders are beginning to grasp the concept of counterinsurgency operations? As we all know, it is just as much, if not more a political and idealogical fight than it is military, that perhaps inviting the Taliban to be represented in the new Afghan government might be a tactic worth testing? I posted the article here.....http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=1292

[Tom Odom]

Marc,

Thanks, mate. I had it tagged on my cable box already and put a notice out at work yesterday it was coming on. I meant to put up one here.

Best

Tom

[marct]

Hi Tom,

No probs . A friend of mine in the feds sent me a link to the Globe & Mail story on it and I thought that it showed some of the spin coming out in Canada now after the visit by Karzai and Hellier.

Marc

[Jedburgh]

Frontline: Return of the Taliban

Excellent documentary. Essentially it turned out to be a long indictment of Pakistan. I was surprised that Musharraf and his generals allowed themselves to be interviewed in that manner as well as filmed squirming in the hot seat making weak denials. I was especially interested in the video of the Pakistani general giving the anti-American speech to the tribesmen in Waziristan.

The full documentary, as well as transcripts of the interviews, is available on the website - along with a few extras.

[marct]

I'm still thinking about what I saw last night.

On the issue of Pakistan, I'm not surprised they allowed the filming or interviews. Musharef and his crowd are walking a tightrope and, in view of the recent shift in Musharef's interviews, it looks like he is playing it safe with the jihadists at the moment.

I think I may need to take an old friend and ex-coworker out for coffee. She is a Pashtun and related to the Minister of the Interior.

Marc

[Jedburgh]

...and this just in from CRG:

...An explosion on 4 October took place near the Army House in Rawalpindi and was followed on 5 October by the discovery of three rockets near the parliament building in the capital Islamabad.

Previous bombings and security incidents in these cities have been related to opposition to President Gen Pervez Musharraf within the military and intelligence agencies and from Islamic extremist groups. Although there has been speculation that Baluchi militants were involved in the latest incidents, Baluchi rebels have not tended to operate outside of Baluchistan. Meanwhile, the incidents do not fit with Islamic extremists' usual modus operandi. Several additional factors support the assessment that these incidents may be linked to elements within the military and intelligence services who wish to send a warning to Musharraf to express their increasing disillusionment:

* Islamabad and Rawalpindi have strong security measures in place, making militant infiltration difficult.

* The two incidents were well planned, showing tactical sophistication and apparent knowledge of Musharraf's movements.

* They coincided with Musharraf's highly controversial efforts to sideline and replace a corps commander.

Opposition to Musharraf

Musharraf has recently returned from a trip to the US, during which he launched his controversial autography and made highly critical comments about elements within the military. In addition, the president on 5 October appointed new 10 Corps Commander Lt-Gen Salahuddin Satti as Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ). These developments have increased speculation that Musharraf's political and military support base might be becoming increasingly disillusioned with the personalised nature of his rule.

There have been three assassination attempts against Musharraf and one against his close associate Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. In December 2003, two assassination attempts were carried out against the president in quick succession in Rawalpindi. They were initially linked to Islamic extremists, but subsequent investigations revealed links to elements within the military and intelligence services.

Rawalpindi and Islamabad incidents

The explosion in Rawalpindi's Ayub Public Park (1.3 miles (2km) from Musharraf's residence) appears to have been caused by a rocket. The following day, bomb-disposal experts defused three rockets that were found less than half a mile (1km) from the national assembly and were
aimed towards the building. The rockets were attached to mobile (cell) phones to enable remote launching, and were positioned in woods near to the diplomatic enclave, providing an opportunity to target several buildings in the area. This area has high security measures in place because of the presence of the national assembly, several government ministries, the prime minister's office and the president's office. Musharraf was addressing a press conference in the area at the time of the discovery.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the incidents, which are likely to be linked. The authorities have provided little information apart from these basic facts...

[SWJED]

Afghanistan: The Other War - 10 April on PBS Frontline.

Inside an underground bunker in a secret location in Kabul, soldiers from an international military force monitor daily attacks from the Taliban, which has re-emerged this year as a major threat to Afghanistan's weak national government. The bunker is manned by members of the small NATO force now in charge of countering a growing insurgency there, as the United States shifts many of its own combat troops to Iraq. In "The Other War," FRONTLINE/World correspondent Sam Kiley confronts the reality of the West's struggling campaign in Afghanistan, with exclusive access to the NATO command in Afghanistan and provocative reporting from the front lines in the run up to a major offensive the Taliban has promised this spring.

[tequila]

Watched part of this last night. Very enlightening, especially the segment on the Canadian PRT in Nuristan. Hard to believe that they could not even repair more than 3 water pumps for the village. At the end of the effort, NATO boards the choppers and flies away, leaving the village completely at the mercy of the Taliban. One wonders at the lack of resources available for the mission there.