Britain sees role for Taliban in Afghanistan

[LeighAnn]

Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)

Britain will support deals with Taliban insurgents to give them places in Afghanistan's new government and military, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced yesterday, distancing himself from the Canadian and U.S. strategy of refusing to sit down with the Taliban.

In a speech to the House of Commons announcing a new Afghanistan strategy, Mr. Brown said that Britain will join Afghan President Hamid Karzai in making money and job offers to "former insurgents."

"If they are prepared to renounce violence and abide by the constitution and respect basic human rights, then there is a place for them in the legitimate society and economy of Afghanistan," Mr. Brown said.

British officials said that this reconciliation process will involve offering salaries, jobs and possibly high-status positions to those Taliban officers and fighters who are part of the Islamic militant organization for non-ideological reasons.



Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071213.wafghan13/BNStory/Afghanistan/home

[Xithras]

1. The Taliban would never go for it.

The entire Taliban philosophy is to impose rule under a strict interpretation of sharia. The British are essentially saying "Hey, if you abandon all of your political goals and principles, we'll let you join our government."

Something tells me that the Taliban aren't going to be very receptive to the idea. You can also bet that any Taliban leaders who DO defect will move to the top of the Taliban's execution list, if for no other reason than to make an example out of them and prevent further defection.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Oh, I don't know about that.

These are some very shifty people who have no problems switching alliance. There's really no difference between them and the "Northern Alliance." In fact they're often literally the same people.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Since the "no longer" Taliban control over half of Afghanistan

and are about to take over Kabul, what the British government does or doesn't want regarding the Taliban would seem to be pretty moot.

[winter999]

3. Half did you say? Can you provide a link?

Last I heard there were less than 4000 of them and are being routed in both Afghanistan and Pakistan at every battle. Just this week they'd lost a town that they've been holding for a better part of a year.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. LOL

Yeah, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

:eyes:

[winter999]

8. Sure is. Taliban and other religious militants controlling the ME.

You know what they say when you're drowning... "give up and you'll be at peace."

[tabasco]

14. You probably believed it when Bush said the Taliban was "no more."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030619-2.html

When are we going to clean up those religious radicals in Saudi Arabia?


If you think the US should be the policeman of the world, you should join up!

www.goarmy.com

Ask for eleven bravo.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. I cannot provide a link but saw a segment on the Lehrer Newshour

earlier this week, wherein either Gwenn Ifill or Judy Woodruf interviewed an Afghan expert who posited that Taliban controlled "vast swaths" of Afghan territory and were coming ever closer to Kabul. Don't remember if the specific % quoted was "over half" or "roughly 40%".

[LynnTheDem]

9. Link; Over Half of Afghanistan under Taliban Control

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,518937,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2214994,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/22/wtaliban122.xml

[Barrett808]

11. Yes, and apparently they intend to march on Kabul in 2008

NATO is calling for a doubling of forces, from 40,000 to 80,000.

So, basically, we're losing, and it's time to negotiate.

[fshrink]

4. Just as Britain saw role for Saddam back then.

[ohio2007]

10. Looks like Britain is going to bargain from a strong position

Exclusive: Eyewitness Account of Huge Taliban Defeat

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/12/exclusive-eyewi.html

[tabasco]

15. How can you negotiate with someone who's not there?

Bush said the Taliban was "no more."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030619-2.html

I bet you believed it! You seem like the gullible type.

[SKKY]

12. This is a pipe-dream...

...the Taliban want one role and one role only. We've all seen how that turns out.

[lovuian]

13. Taliban has been in Afghanistan a long time

longer than Britain

its pretty obvious Afghanistan is a mess