Military: Taliban Leadership May Be 'Falling Apart'

[Kadie]

Military: Taliban Leadership May Be 'Falling Apart'
Factions Emerge, Pull In Different Directions

POSTED: 8:29 am EDT August 14, 2004

KABUL, Afghanistan -- There's a claim from the U.S. military that the leadership of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban movement appears to be "falling apart" as more and more Afghans turn against the rebels.

Two factions have emerged within the hardline militia, each backing different views of how their insurgency should proceed.

American spokesman Major Scott Nelson said Saturday it's a "significant development" that tends to suggest a widening split.

Nelson declined to give details, saying the military is still trying to work out what impact any lasting split could have on the militants' operations.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/news/3654123/detail.html

[annabanana]

1. Then again, they may not be....

Sorry, I can no longer take the word of the brass. I'd like this confirmed by, say, a French news service. Or AAR, or even Al Jazeera. (You know, journalists)

[mom cat]

2. The maim split is probably over profits from the poppy crop.

[mom cat]

4. More on poppies.

This was posted earlier today and probably givea a more accurete eval.


IndianaGreen (1000+ posts) Sat Aug-14-04 07:40 AM
Original message
US soldiers fear Afghan drug war as opium profits find their way to...


US soldiers fear Afghan drug war as opium profits find their way to al-Qa'ida
By Nick Meo in Kandahar
14 August 2004

US soldiers in Afghanistan fear they are about to be launched into a bloody war on drugs amid mounting evidence that the country's booming opium trade is funding terrorists linked to al-Qa'ida.

The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, raised the prospect of the 17,000 combat troops based in the country taking an active role against the drugs trade on a visit to Kabul this week when he spoke of a need for a new strategy.

<snip>

Taking on Afghanistan's powerful drug lords could force US troops to confront dangerous new enemies, however.

One US soldier in Kandahar said: "We start taking out drug guys, and they will start taking out our guys." Many of the roadside bombs and sporadic guerrilla attacks on US soldiers in southern Afghanistan are already blamed on criminal gangs seeking to spread chaos as well as Taliban insurgents.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?stor...





:argh:

[amber dog democrat]

5. Its like sowing the dragon's teeth.

the more we get mired down in operations over drugs and warlords, the more incidents are going to happen. We can't militarily win this one.

[realFedUp]

3. The Taliban by any other name....

are warlords.

[Ms. Clio]

6. The "Taliban leadership" is just now falling apart?!?

I thought it was EVISCERATED a few years ago.

[louis-t]

8. R-i-i-ight, I thought the Taliban was

completely destroyed by * the conquering crusader.

[Gyre]

7. More like asexual reproduction

Think of it more like budding new and improved Taliban factions. Love the rosy spin the administration puts on it! Freepers never learn. Lying to the world is catching up with us. The problem is there are some of us who are getting dragged into the maelstrom who know better.

Gyre