Stop Misinformation About Afghanistan
Gen. Rick Hillier, on a visit to Afghanistan, said the Taliban deliberately blend with local populations in Afghanistan and therefore make it difficult for troops to pick out militants from among ordinary people
HUH?!?
General, the Taliban do not wear military uniforms - this is a guerilla war!
Too bad General Hillier does not read any news or talk to his American military colleagues. American General James L. Jones spoke about the situation in Afghanistan last week. General Jones, NATO's commander, cautioned against blaming the Taliban for all the violence in Afghanistan, saying individuals involved in the opium drug tade and other criminal elements are also contributing to the lawlessness plaguing the country.
"This is inaccurate. It doesn't capture the nature of the problem," US Gen. James L. Jones said in a speech.
He stressed that there were others carrying out violence, including remnants of al-Qaida. opium farmers and "the strong presence of the drug cartels which have their own infrastructure, their own export system, their own security system and are feeding the opposition."
"I would caution that we should not make the Taliban 10 feet tall," Jones told the Vienna-based OSCE, Europe's largest security organization.
So, I ask the question, what is General Hillier talking about?
Jerusalem Post
IHT.com
Good point, which is why I am asking at my blog, as one of my questions about the mission, are we really fighting just the "Taliban".
Seems to me the word "Taliban" is becoming as meaningless as "Terrorist" - anyone we are fighting is a "terrorist" or, in Afghanistan, the "Taliban". Never mind that they may be drug trafficers, Pakistani Tribal fighters, other criminal elements or even honest, nationalistic resistance that are NOT associated with the Taliban.
Knowing that can certainly affect your strategy and tatics...
Posted by
Mike |
8:12 am, September 29, 2006
Well said. And I don't think we are nit picking but making the distinctions about who is trying to kill our men and women in Afghanistan.
I heard a distrubing news report last night wherein a couple of new Afghanistani Police officers were involved in an armed robbery of innocent civilians. This poor nation is SO damaged from decades of abuse from outside its borders, I just shake my head sometimes.
With ALL of the Billions being spent by NATO nations on the 'war' - I wish we could just put that entire amount of money onto a massive infrastructure program througout the whole nation - building - fixing - repairing. The way it is now, I am told that 9 out of every 10 Canadian dollars is going on the war part and 1 out of every is going on the reconstruction.
Posted by
leftdog |
3:23 pm, September 29, 2006