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.........When we first arrive the man minding the room has a pistol by his side. We follow his lead and sit backs to the wall propped up on the cushions and wait.
I'm expecting to hear a convoy of cars pulling up, but nothing, silence. Then a whisper: He is coming.There is no time to wonder what's going to happen. He steps in alone, no sound of a car.
He is nervous and seems in a hurry, telling me I only have 15 minutes. It could take me that long to ask just half my questions, never mind his answers.
He tells me the policy is clear. "We ask from the beginning and we say once again one to enforce the Sharia law and Islamic government in Afghanistan, and to remove foreign forces remove from our country."
He tells me presidential elections expected this year are a sham, that the Taliban are telling Afghans to stay away and he warns:
"We will target the Afghan parliamentary members and government officials so if there is elections, yes it is clear we will target them."
He says they'll use suicide bombers in their attacks. I want to know how they justify tactics that kill so many civilians. I find his answer falls far short of even trying to explain let alone apologize for the carnage they cause. He says it is justified in Islam, it has its roots in history and Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
That's not what most Muslims I talk to say; they abhor such nihilistic thinking.
He tells me it doesn't matter how many come, they won't win. "If the Pentagon is thinking of changing its policy, we too are thinking of changing the policy. If they want to send 20,000 to start a new campaign, this is a war and we will see the war and make our policy."
At one point he laughs when I say he is up against the strongest army in the world.
His point is Taliban fighters are not afraid of dying."If they want to send the troops and change things ... we believe they can't do anything.
"Afghanistan will be the Vietnam for them...I want to tell you clearly we will win, and they will die."
This is unnerving, to say the least. Afghanistan may indeed become a Vietnam--or at the very least, "Obama's Iraq" as it's been called already. Our attention to Afghanistan has been too half-hearted and incomplete in the past few years, with the distractions of Iraq dilluting our strength there. We have a lot to make up for, and it makes me uneasy. The story of Afghanistan, as I've said before, is heartbreaking...I hope the nation won't face as much heartbreak in the future as I fear it may...
7 comments:
Thanks for the excerpts/summary. I love reading the articles and watching the videos you post...And you're totally right, Iraq has been the distraction we DIDN'T need...Let's hope we can salvage this Afghanistan mess...
Thanks for the post, as always.
Wow, this is a grim reality to face...old demons coming back to haunt us. Thanks for posting this.
There is no comparison between Afghanistan and Vietnam. North Vietnamese never attacked U.S. soil, nor did they allow terrorists from around the world to come there to train for attacks on the West. Also, there was no semblance of a coalition in Vietnam. The U.S. was on its own, whereas NATO forces have a presence in Afghanistan, as do several non-member nations. More importantly, there is a consensus in the West that the Taliban much be dealt with, while most of Europe opposed the Vietnam war. On top of all that, the Taliban are conquering by fear and terror, which doesn't exactly endear them to the innocent villagers they've oppressed. If anything, the grass roots of Afghanistan despise the Taliban, but are afraid to act against them. People should remember that back in 2001, we knocked the Taliban out of power in about a month. They are not the Viet Cong hiding in tunnel networks hidden beneath impenetrable jungles. What we need to watch for, especially with the upcoming elections in Iraq, is a huge spike in violence in that country which will be intended to keep our attention focused there instead of Afghanistan. It's going to happen.
Very interesting input, John, thank you. I believe the allusion to Vietnam was more a prediction that the conflict in Afghanistan would be as frustrating, drawn-out, and draining as the conflict against the Viet Cong—more of a psychological than historical comparison. Your points are very true, though, and based on your description of the challenges of Vietnam, I’d almost venture to say that Iraq is more reminiscent of Vietnam than is Afghanistan. (I’m certainly not the first one to make this comparison either, of course.)
Congratulations! I have reviewed "Reflections of a Cultural Mutt" and I'm pleased to inform you that your blog has been added to Blogging Women.
I've enjoyed reading through your blog post (still have more to go through) and look forward to future post.
Welcome aboard and continued success with this blog.
The interview is significant in that the Taliban spokesperson 1) denied affiliation with Al Qeada, and 2) made reference to the failures of the Vietnam Era.
Denying affiliation with Al Qeada illustrates a fundamental shift in politics. The Taliban now regards Al Qeada as a foreign influence. More welcome than Americans but still a foreign influence. By denying Al Qeada affiliation the Taliban galvanize support from groups that are now disillusioned with Bin Laden and Saudis in general. It also reinforces local belief that the Taliban is not a true enemy of the United States, but only reacting defensively to foreign interference.
The reference to the Vietnam Era is significant because it communicates an understanding of American military policy and that it communicates a strategy for victory.
In referencing Vietnam the Taliban show an understanding of the differences between the Powell Doctrine and the Petraeus Doctrine. They know that Petraeus is not interested in real victory. They know he supports the Bush Doctrine. Never ending continuos conflict with the military in a constant counterinsurgency or constabulary role. (As opposed to the Powell Doctrine of infrequent use of quick, strong and overwhelming force.)
Through their knowledge of our policy and their understanding of history they have put together a sensible strategy for victory. Bait us, bog us down in a never ending conflict and the American Public will do their fighting for them, eventually. We're running out of money. We're running out of soldiers. We're running out of resolve. Petraeus will eventually be forced to do what Democrats do best, bomb the shit out of anything that moves. This will further insure our demonization in the international community, giving credence to their claims that the West is amoral, hypocritical and fundamentally weak. It will also further insure another generation of Muslims despise anything American.
These people are not going away. We armed and trained them to defeat the Russians, which they did, in time. They are unafraid, confident in their ability and their belief they have the moral high ground. It is exactly like Vietnam, with the same outcome virtually assured by present policy. We need to find ways to make generational peace instead of generational war.
Thanks for the feedback, Neil. You brought up a point I meant to elaborate on in my next post--the way these Taliban leaders exhibit such a strong knowledge of American history and strategy. A very impressive and dangerous skill indeed...
Also, I realized I had to disagree with John on a small point--he said that the Taliban attacked the US on American soil, when technically, that was Osama Bin Laden/al Qaeda, rather than the Taliban. As this interview, and Neil's comments, point out, the two are not synonymous.
The demonization of America in the international community, an issue that Neil also raised, is one that should cause us great concern. It is a problem I am personally very keenly aware of, as an ex-pat and traveler. It is currently one of our biggest weaknesses, and our enemies' greatest strengths. The perceived "moral high ground" Neil mentioned cannot be underestimated. This religious/ideological leverage is very powerful, and is being exploited to the fullest.
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