Taliban leader: U.S. intel is leaked to us

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

Wanted Taliban leader doesn't fear U.S.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Afghan intelligence agents are sharing information with militants about U.S. and NATO troop movements, a top Taliban commander told NBC News.

"The people of Afghanistan are with us," said Sirajuddin Haqqani, in an exclusive interview. "The Afghan intelligence officials are sympathetic to the Taliban and they communicate the movements of the occupying forces (U.S. and NATO) to us."

There was no way to confirm Haqqani's claims, but nearly eight years after the attacks of 9/11, the United States has struggled to oust the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies from parts of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. On March 27, President Barack Obama pledged a fresh infusion of U.S. troops to the region. "If the Afghanistan government falls to the Taliban or allows al-Qaida to go unchallenged," Obama said, "that country will again be a base for terrorists."

The United States also has hinted at possible negotiations with some elements of the Taliban. On March 31, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Taliban members in Afghanistan who abandoned extremism must be granted an "honorable form of reconciliation" while Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted that a similar rapprochement worked in Iraq.

Read more: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/09/1886824.aspx

[xchrom]

1. how could you ever confirm such a thing?

first -- i'm fairly certain extremists will say anything to suit their goals.

second - it's probably true that certain individuals play both sides.

[cosmicone]

6. It is simple

by planting false stories in the hands of a select few and seeing which one is leaked.

[xchrom]

7. except i think that enviroment is like sieve.

it all leaks -- everywhere.

[cosmicone]

8. Precisely

so by determining which false leak end up where, one can find the path.

[truebrit71]

2. We know that certain elements in Pakistan's ISI have quite openly helped the Taliban...

..and Al-Q...

This is not new news...

[cosmicone]

5. Exactly ... the leaks are coming from Pakistani military and ISI

who are warned of drone attacks ahead of time.

Afghan military doesn't get much intel-sharing from the US except for plausible threats against VIPs.

[Ian David]

3. You mean they didn't get Bob Novak to publish it first? n/t

[Thrill]

4. If this was true. Why on earth would you tell anyone?

[atreides1]

9. For Morale purposes

The worst thing that an enemy can do to an army in the field is to create a situation where that army's morale is adversely affected.

Just think, by making these statements the Taliban create a rift between the US/NATO forces and the Afghan security forces. If the US/NATO don't trust their Afghan "allies" and vice-versa imagine how that would help the Taliban and AlQ?

[bemildred]

10. Well dang it! Now the "secret" is out! nt

[SKKY]

11. It's rather silly and amateurish for him to think we don't know about it...

...or haven't planned for that eventuality. It was bound to happen, and is almost assuredly factored in to the overall equation.

[EFerrari]

13. He probably isn't talking to us. n/t

[Tim01]

12. Or maybe somebody in the Taliban has studied Sun Tzu.

That would be bad. Educated terrorists would be very very bad. Makes me uncomfortable just saying it.

[TheLastMohican]

14. They've been fighting the guerrila war

for more than 30 years. Of course they are smarter than some folks think.
It is their land, they know the terrain, they know the surroundings and it is not the first time they are taking on a powerful army (the British, the Soviets).
So, essentially what they are saying is "been there, done that".