Posted on 10/06/2001 6:14:35 PM PDT by aculeus
THE downward spiral which started in this country when the Afghan king was overthrown three decades ago seems to be approaching absolute rock- bottom. Presumably the long-awaited strikes against Afghanistan will begin soon. Having watched Taliban forces fighting their own countrymen, I can't imagine they will put up much resistance.
The Taliban are very good at beating up men in the street who have trimmed their beards, or whipping women for accidentally showing their faces in public. In tonight's edition of Panorama, on BBC1, I shall be showing some dreadful footage of women being punished in Kabul, as recently as August. But the Taliban aren't up to much when it comes to facing bullets.
"Their elite, battle-hardened forces are on full alert," trilled one Pakistani newspaper last week. I don't think we need to worry too much. The only Taliban fighters I have seen here since September 11 were lounging in the sun outside their position, so un-alert that they didn't notice the sound of the generator which was powering my portable live broadcast unit a short way away. It's a fairly safe assumption that the Taliban will be a pushover. Whatever happens, the Americans have got the 21st century equivalent of the Gatling gun, and the Afghans have not.
Our myths about Afghanistan go back a long way. One myth is that they always defeat their invaders. In fact a long succession of invaders have been quite successful in Afghanistan, from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan to the British in the 19th century. But these invaders have been successful only when they carried out a series of quick hits then staged a well-planned withdrawal.
When the invaders think of staying on, like the British in the 1840s, or the Russians in the 1980s, the Afghans eventually overcome their own differences long enough to see them off. If the Americans, with British help, attack the Taliban hard from the air, put in special forces to help the Northern Alliance capture Kabul, and then rely on old-fashioned treachery for someone to turn in Osama bin Laden and his associates, they ought to do really well.
Logic requires that the Americans should get out fast, leaving the country in the hands of the Northern Alliance. Yet that is the approach which got us into all this in the first place. Leaving Afghanistan to its own devices while simultaneously meddling in its politics from the outside helped to foster the savage civil war which has continued here ever since the Russians pulled out in 1989.
The only conceivable force which can take over from the Taliban is the Northern Alliance. Yet this is essentially the same grouping which the Taliban chased out of Kabul in 1996, cheered on by large numbers of people who were sick of their gross corruption and mismanagement in government.
That was when the Alliance had the services of the most efficient politician in the coalition, Ahmad Shah Massoud. He was murdered three days before the attacks of September 11, presumably on bin Laden's orders.
The efforts to recruit the king in some capacity to draw more and more parties and groups into some grand coalition merely seem like a good way to ensure further trouble. It would be easier to herd cats. You can see how easily the Americans, their immediate job done, will be tempted to leave the Afghans to their own devices as quickly as possible.
That would be a serious mistake. The Afghans' own devices are what have ruined this country, turning its towns and villages into a vast killing field. What is needed is the most delicate of tactics: encouraging the victors to form a government which will keep the peace, give everyone a reasonable chance whatever their religion or ethnic background, and resist both revenge and the insidious growth of corruption.
The Taliban arose in the first place only because Afghanistan became a kind of international black hole, where any lunacy could flourish. Let's hope the Americans are thinking beyond the coming battle to the new Afghanistan which will follow it. Otherwise we will be faced with something like the old Afghanistan, just as violent as ever.
John Simpson is the BBC's World Affairs editor
They prefer to achieve their martyrdom by slaughtering women and children. They will escape into the cities wearing women's clothing bleating for their worthless lives. They are not men, they cannot provide even the rudiments of survival to their people.
At some point after the tide of battle has shifted decisively our way, but before the slaughter is over, I hope at least some of our guys have enough of a puckish sense of humor to put some 223 caliber suppositories up some of the backsides presented to them.
Yes, most were "students". 30 and 40 yr old students, actually.
But this authors overall point is well taken. Maybe thats why Bush wants to bring in the UN afterwards. (Not that that will help)
The principles and motives behind the soldier have as much bearing on his performance as anything. The Taliban have demonstrated their ruthlessness, now it is time to see their motivation.
I hope we go in hard, smash the crap out of the Taliban and anything even remotely resembling or supporting them and the terrorist bastards. Then rototill up what's left and smash the crap out of it again. Then burn what's left after that.
Then leave, and keep an eye on them. If they keep crapping in their own nest, tough sh!t. If they get out of line again with respect to the outside world, it's smashing time again.
Don't want to see a single dime or American life wasted on "nation building" out of a bunch of Moos living a Medieval existence.
I'm with you. Nuke the freaks into oblivion. YESTERDAY!
They think they can "terrorize"? They ain't seen nothing...IF, the USA has the balls to give the rest of the world the digital salute and use the f*cking weapons in our arsenal.
I want to see every god-damned Islamic Fundamentalist rubbing sticks together and wearing camel-hair clothes, eating with their bare hands.
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