NATO gives itself six months to tame the Taliban: report

[deadparrot]

LONDON (AFP) - NATO forces in Afghanistan have set themselves a six-month deadline to establish a clear advantage over Taliban insurgents, their commander said in an interview.

Lieutenant General David Richards, the British general in charge of the international force in the war-shattered country, said they had to prove that Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration had the upper hand in the battle against supporters of the deposed Taliban regime.

"We have to show in the next six months that the government is on the winning side," Richards told Britain's Financial Times business daily in an interview published on Saturday.

His comments highlight the growing concern that Afghan and international officials needed to do more to win popular support in the lawless south of the country.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/afghanistannatomilitarybritain

[msongs]

1. the tyrant GW Bush squandered his chance, NATO cannot do it either

the british couldn't do it

the soviets couldn't do it and they were right next door

afghanistan is a tribal society run by a handful of competing thugs known as tribal chiefs

they will never give up their brutal ways and yield to outside invaders.

msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[NOLADEM]

5. Pffft...

Please.

The only way to win the peace in Afghanistan is:

1. MASSIVE humanitarian and educational aid, MANY times more than what has been done.
2. HUGE increase in the international boots on the ground, to maintain order and comfort moderates.
3. War on Opium, to take the funding out from the militias. The Taliban maintained order by doing this. We could do it with the right plan, political will and different chimp in chief.


Afghanistan is being neglected so badly, it will inevitably revert to pre-taliban conditions, with such disorder, the public will yearn for 'strong leadership' and in will step people we do not want.

[Barrett808]

2. "The next six months will be crucial," and so forth

So they're predicting one Friedman to victory, eh?

[kenny blankenship]

3. Or else...?

[mcscajun]

4. They're Way Too Late.

Any attempts to 'tame the Taliban' should have occurred Way Back in 2001 (pre-9/11, mind you) when they announced they were going to destroy the Buddhas of Bamiyan (the standing Buddhas). I started seriouisly worrying about that part of the world and what their radical clerics were up to right about then.

That was purely a malicious act and a snub to the entire international community, which rose up in outrage over it, but in the end, respected the sovereignty of the Taliban "government" and did exactly nothing.

Just as they did nothing when the Taliban ousted the elected President, Burhanuddin Rabban (1992-1996) and he was forced to leave Kabul. His government was recognized by many countries, including the US, and by the UN. No perfection resided in that government, either. :shrug:

[teryang]

6. A fool's mission

If NATO were tactically successful at the local level, the Taliban will just withdraw into more remote regions, cross the border into Pakistan's tribal regions where they cannot be reached, only to return when the opportunity inevitably arises.

[Yupster]

10. That's guerrilla theory

As long as they have safe sanctuaries in the Pakistani tribal regions to withdraw and refresh in, they yon't be beaten. And since Pakistan doesn't seem to have the will to impose their authority on the border, then it appears hopeless.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Opium harvest soars as Taliban rebounds

Sept. 3, 2006, 9:15AM
Opium harvest soars as Taliban rebounds
U.N. says the rebels' resurgence has helped fuel a record poppy crop

By CARLOTTA GALL
New York Times

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Afghanistan's opium harvest this year has reached the highest levels ever recorded, showing an increase of almost 50 percent from last year, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said Saturday in Kabul.

He described the figures as "alarming" and "very bad news" for the Afghan government and international donors who have poured millions of dollars into programs to reduce the poppy crop since 2001.

He said the increase in cultivation was fueled by the resurgence of Taliban rebels in the south, the country's prime opium-growing region. As the insurgents have stepped up attacks, they also have encouraged and profited from the drug trade, promising protection to growers if they worked to expand their opium operations.

"This year's harvest will be around 6,100 metric tons of opium — a staggering 92 percent of total world supply. It exceeds global consumption by 30 percent," Costa said at a news briefing.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4159952.html

[Judi Lynn]

8. Hundreds of Suspected Taliban Killed

Associated Press
Hundreds of Suspected Taliban Killed
By NOOR KHAN , 09.03.2006, 12:21 PM

NATO and Afghan forces killed more than 200 suspected Taliban guerrillas with air strikes and artillery fire in a major offensive in a volatile province in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said Sunday.

A statement said four soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force also died and seven were wounded in the fighting in Panjwayi district, about 10 miles from the city of Kandahar.

The casualty counts could not be independently confirmed because the government ordered vehicles to stay off roads leading to the area and reporters were unable to gain access to the battle zone. There was no indication of bodies being taken to local hospitals.

"Reports indicate that more than 200 Taliban fighters have been killed since Operation Medusa began early Saturday morning," the NATO force said in a statement.
(snip/...)

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/entresales/feeds/ap/2006/09/03/ap2990550.html

[Spazito]

9. Yep, seeing as NATO has classified ANYTHING and ANYONE

moving within the Panjwayi district as legitimate "shoot to kill" targets I have no doubt 200 Afhanis were killed, how many were actually Taliban is very much a question, very few in relation to the total number of those killed I suspect.


Edited for error.