British Prime minister Gordon Brown has announced after 6 years of Afghan combat to “talk to the Taliban”. The concept is so ridiculous that News pundits can only parrot his declaration.
Before the events of 2001 the Taliban with great assistance from their Al Qaeda and Arab allies had successfully decimated the Soviet Empire and had driven out the Afghan Communist government. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan implementing archaic Muslim based laws and a regime that was sited by observers as being repressive to women and non-muslims. This regime was legitimized by American and British trade and politics until the events of 2001 when the Taliban’s high profile “guest” was named as prime suspect in the September 11 hijacking and attacks.
While the large American Army began Operation Iraqi Freedom, smaller forces from the UK and UN embarked upon Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan wresting control of the major “city” and government from the Taliban. The history of Afghanistan is one that speaks of the death and defeat of empires for millennia. The original British Empire, the Roman and even Persian and Macedonian empires could not conquer these desert dwellers. They know nothing but strife and aside from goat herding and poppy cultivating, their children are raised to regard war in the same way that they regard the sun during the seasons.
The Taliban will not “talk” until the British, Americans, French and United Nations leave. They will keep killing every fatigue dressed individual that has not been explicitly invited into their domain. This is what any analyst will tell you. They had no talks with the British in early 20th Century they had no talks with the soviets in the middle 20th Century, no talks with the Americans in the end of the 20th century and will not have talks with the British in this new 21st Century. There is a funny quote about the Taliban version of Diplomacy but it is safe to say that Gordon Brown has embarked upon either a fruitless task or a phenomenal campaign of misinformation and hot air politics.
The “recapture” of a town is heralded as a victory by the press because in the desolate wastes of Helmland, victories are scarce. The Taliban will return again and again to the town and any town left behind by heavily armed forces, implementing their rule on the citizens who apparently don’t mind them being there. Every time a western troop has to retake a town by bombing, shooting and otherwise causing collateral casualties they not only spend their own lives but the lives of those they believe they are liberating.
What is becoming clear about the British invasion of Afghanistan is the lack of agenda. The initial task of the Operation was securing fuel lines, locating and incapacitating Bin Laden, installing the Karzai Government and preventing it from being again overwhelmed by the Talibs. The British forces now seem to be charged only with fighting “Disparate” tribesmen. Aside from the poppy fields which supply over 70% of British Opium and Opium by-products there isn’t really anything in Afghanistan to fight for or against. For the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Arab mercenaries however, until Nato and American forces leave the country there is plenty to fight for and plenty to fight against.
Reference:
Brown ‘plans to talk to Taliban’- Louise Radnofsky, Guardian Unlimited 12/12/07
