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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Return of the Taliban |
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| stap |
| 10/06/03 at 03:37:17 |
| Military unit sent to stabilize Afghan region faces tough challenge By Andrew Maykuth Knight Ridder Newspapers QALAT, Afghanistan - The broken-down fortress that looms over this provincial capital hardly seems like the place to find hope for Afghanistan's future. The mud walls are crumbling. The vehicles are crumpled and rusting. A bent artillery piece, one wheel missing, tilts toward the sky. But Maj. Mohammed Issaq, commander of the unit that moved into this decrepit base last month, is full of confidence. Clean-shaven, well muscled, wearing an olive T-shirt and camouflage pants, Issaq projects the image of the new Afghan National Army, the rigorously trained and disciplined force designed to be loyal to the central government rather than local warlords. "We were sent here to create stability," said Issaq. "We're here to protect the road construction crews that were under attack." They have their work cut out for them. The mountainous, impoverished Zabul province is one of the most contentious regions in Afghanistan, bordering the Pakistani tribal areas from which the Taliban have easily infiltrated. Zabul is so dangerous even the International Committee of the Red Cross, which specializes in working in war zones, won't go there. Before Issaq and the new army were dispatched, no one stood in the way of what appeared to be a major reorganizing drive by the Taliban, which had given shelter to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorists. Residents of the region increasingly spotted pairs of bearded men riding on new Honda motorcycles on the trails along Zabul's deep, treeless valleys. The men carried new Kalashnikov rifles. Their motorcycles were equipped with chargers for hand-held satellite telephones. They warned local officials that if they valued their lives and those of their families, they best keep quiet. "The Taliban were even able to come to Qalat and buy things," said Zabul Police Chief Mohammed Ayub, who arrived at his post in August and discovered that the Taliban controlled more of his new domain than anyone dared imagine. In villages such as Dai Chupan, in northern Zabul, the Taliban built bakeries to feed their forces. They held town meetings to denounce Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and his Western advisers, whom they said intended to destroy Islam. There was no one to rebut the claims. The local police, unpaid for six months, were long gone. "The Taliban actually ruled like a government in Dai Chupan," said Ayub. "People went to the Taliban with their problems, not the government." The government responded in August with Operation Mountain Viper. Commanders in neighboring Kandahar province dispatched hundreds of troops to Zabul. Coalition forces joined in, lending American air support and some ground troops. The forces encircled the Taliban on a plateau riddled with caves, which in the 1980s had protected the mujahedeen who resisted the Soviet invasion. After two weeks of battle, the troops claimed they killed as many as 200 Taliban and the enemy was on the run. Whether the Taliban were really vanquished is anybody's guess. Taliban supporters are still seen in small groups, and no one will guarantee a safe drive to Dai Chupan. Issaq's unit, the First Battalion of the First Brigade, is here to see that, if they are still around, they never gain the influence they seemed to have had two months ago. Part of an army projected to eventually number 70,000 troops, Issaq's unit is the centerpiece of a complex nation-building enterprise. Trained by British, French and American advisers, the military units are designed to include soldiers from different ethnic groups and regions and to be imbued with a national identity, not the regional or political affiliations that have traditionally bound Afghan militias. Thus far, only a few thousand soldiers have been given the green berets that distinguish the new force. About 9,000 soldiers will be in place by next June, when elections are scheduled to take place. For the next few years, the new army will work with the Afghan militias, gradually supplanting them. "Our concentration is on creating quality versus quantity," said Col. Mark Milley, who heads the Kabul Military Academy where the new units are being trained. "We're not being held to a time production. You can't build institutions quickly or in the end you have to undo them." Since arriving, Issaq's unit has given priority to protecting international workers who are trying to improve conditions in the province. Especially important has been protecting crews building a road from Kabul to Afghanistan's second largest city, Kandahar. In the first two weeks he was in Zabul, Issaq and his troops held town meetings in four villages, where he gave 90-minute talks denouncing the Taliban's interpretation of the Quran. And to discourage drive-by shootings, he banned two people riding on a motorcycle from carrying weapons. Security alone won't solve Zabul's problems, officials acknowledge. Zabul has no factories and no lucrative customs posts to provide the government with cash. Farmers grow poppy for opium production, but the money tends to corrupt government rather than support it. Ayub, a career police officer, said Zabul received little support from the capital before his arrival. He's operating the department on credit - he owes local merchants $36,000 for fuel and supplies. But he's "sure the central government will support us," and the national government seems to be paying more attention. The new governor, Hafizullah Hashem, created a commission to work with elders in Dai Chupan and other local districts to determine what services they need. In return, the local elders pledged allegiance to the central government rather than the Taliban. But dispatching Issaq's army unit to Zabul may be the most important step. Though the battalion of a few hundred troops is small and can't guarantee security for the entire province, its presence sends a message to communities. "The Taliban told people the National Army is nothing, that they'll push us out," said Issaq, whose unit is accompanied by a U.S. Special Forces trainer, who has planted an American flag in the middle of their base. "Well, here we are." He is brimming with ideas, if only he had the resources. "If we had a radio station in this province, we could tell people what the government is doing for them," he said. "As it is now, the Taliban can get the word out and tell people whatever it likes." Issaq knows a lot must be done: improve security, get rid of the Taliban and the local militias, provide an environment in which people are free to help themselves. "The province needs lots of things," he said. "We need to get a lot more trained police in here. We need to get humanitarian organizations in here. The base and root of all problems in Zabul is poverty." |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| stap |
| 10/09/03 at 13:26:42 |
| Taliban mounted militia prepares for border strike By Ahmed Rashid in Kandahar (Filed: 08/10/2003) A Taliban army is mobilizing in Pakistan for an attack into Afghanistan before the start of winter. Up to 2,500 fighters are in Baluchistan province preparing to cross the border on motorcycles and attack United States and Afghan government forces, according to Western and Afghan intelligence officials. The Taliban have virtually taken over several suburbs of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, and are being supported by Pakistani religious parties, the drugs mafia and al-Qa'eda. There is also reportedly increasing support from the Pakistani authorities - a claim denied in Islamabad. Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the beginning of the American bombing campaign that destroyed the Taliban after the September 11 attacks. They now plan to harry US forces in Kandahar, where residents feel increasingly under siege, and Zabol. Since August Taliban attacks have killed almost 400 Afghan soldiers, aid workers and civilians. Four US soldiers have also died. After evening prayers in Quetta's Pushtunabad suburb, tens of thousands of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban pour on to the streets from mosques and madrassas - the religious seminaries - to take tea, eat ice-cream and plan their raids. "We have the American forces and the puppet regime of [President Hamid] Karzai on the run. They will collapse soon" said a Taliban mullah in Pushtunabad bazaar. The Taliban have bought hotels, shops and houses, forcing many frightened local residents to leave. Vehicle dealers say the Taliban have bought 900 motorcycles in the past three months in the Quetta region and another 250 in Loralai. Motorcycle guerrillas roam Afghanistan's rural areas attacking aid agency vehicles and isolated police posts. Dealers say the Taliban buy in bulk and do not ask for registration papers or receipts. Their favourite machine is the Honda 125. For communications, they are importing hundreds of satellite telephones from the Arab Gulf states, because those bought in Pakistan are closely monitored by America's Central Intelligence Agency. Arms and ammunition are dumped inside Afghanistan. Their funding comes from the drugs trade and al-Qa'eda. Osama bin Laden is still in hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Taliban are also deeply involved in the heroin trade which last year generated £717 million in Afghanistan - a sum equal to the amount spent on reconstruction aid for the country. Logistical support for the Taliban is available from the hardline mullahs of the Jamiat-e-Ullema Islam (JUI) - a partner in the ruling coalition that governs Baluchistan. In recent weeks President Karzai has appealed to JUI mullahs and the Pakistan army to stop the Taliban from organizing in Quetta, but that has only infuriated the JUI. "The Afghan government and Karzai are the stooges of America and every Muslim and every Afghan knows this," said Maulana Hafiz Hussain Sharodi, Baluchistan's information minister. "Only the Taliban can constitute the real government in Afghanistan." According to President Karzai, the headquarters for Taliban planning is the Shaldara madrassa in Quetta run by Maulana Nur Mohammed, who is a JUI member of parliament. "We are proud that the Taliban are made and helped here," said Maulana Abdul Qadir, the deputy to Nur Mohammed. "Our job is to make sure that the whole Pakistani nation supports the Taliban." Hundreds of Pakistani Taliban are joining their Afghan brothers, although Pakistan denies that its citizens are involved. US officials are perturbed at the extent of Pakistani help to the Taliban and Congress has become increasingly critical. However the White House is still reluctant to criticise President Pervaiz Musharraf because of America's desperate need to enlist Pakistani troops for Iraq. After meeting President Musharraf on Monday in Islamabad, Richard Armitage, the US deputy secretary of state, gave a ringing endorsement for his support in the war against terrorism. But on Oct 1, Mr Armitage told Congressional leaders in Washington: "I do not think that that affection for working with us extends up and down the rank-and-file of the Pakistani security community." From Quetta the road stretches 80 miles through desert and mountains to Kandahar, the former Taliban capital. Western aid agencies there have virtually ceased operating outside the city. Last week the Taliban killed two Afghan aid workers helping to repatriate refugees and wounded an Afghan engineer involved in mine clearing. Yousuf Pashtun, the Governor of Kandahar province, says Pakistan has allowed the Taliban to establish six training camps in Baluchistan. He accused the Pakistani authorities of "wanting to push the Taliban into another big battle with government forces", fearing that in the next phase "the Taliban will start urban terrorism". |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| humble_muslim |
| 10/09/03 at 14:16:32 |
| AA Again, someone in Pakistan can tell us how true this is ? |
| NS |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| Nomi |
| 10/11/03 at 22:20:03 |
| [slm] [quote] After evening prayers in Quetta's Pushtunabad suburb, tens of thousands of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban pour on to the streets from mosques and madrassas [/quote] [center] [size=4] The Taliban Test [/size] [/center] Q: Are you are Muslim? A: Yes Q: Do you have a beard and wear loose pants and long shirts plus cover you head? A: Yes BINGO! you are a Taliban ::) [quote] The Taliban are also deeply involved in the heroin trade which last year generated £717 million in Afghanistan [/quote] How many times do we need to tell ppl that cultivation of poppy/heroin was stopped by Taliban and that the country saw 3-4 years of peace in 90% of its area in the times of Taliban. We Muslims surely need a famous news channel to make ppl understand this coz many of us think CNN/BBC/FOX news are revealations from Go` ::) (astagfirullah/naoudobillah) wassalam Asim Zafar (who is sorry if anyone thinks that it was a bit harsh) |
| 10/12/03 at 15:57:01 |
| Nomi |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| stap |
| 10/18/03 at 10:11:33 |
| Taliban capture highway and dole out beatings Sat 18 October, 2003 12:39 BST KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A group of Taliban guerrillas briefly captured a highway in southeastern Afghanistan and punished some passengers for shaving their beards and listening to music, witnesses say. The incident was the latest sign of growing activities of the remnants of the Taliban regime since it was thrown out of power in a U.S.-led offensive in late 2001. Witnesses said some 30 Taliban members also hoisted the radical militia's white flag on the road linking Khost and Paktia provinces at Kargha area and set up checkpoints for about three hours on Friday afternoon. "They beat or slapped those who had trimmed or shaved their beards," said 18-year-old witness Mir Zaman. "They told us that we should avoid shaving our beards and listening to music, otherwise the punishment would be harsher if they caught us next time," he told Reuters. Other witnesses said they saw broken music tapes and pictures strewn in the area. |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| ltcorpest2 |
| 10/18/03 at 13:31:42 |
| as long as they were madonna tapes i will agree with them |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| tincanman |
| 10/19/03 at 17:18:41 |
| yes, i think the taliban had a similer effect on Modona tapes as they had on drug cultivation. |
| Re: Return of the Taliban |
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| humble_muslim |
| 10/20/03 at 12:46:18 |
| AA We could say a lot about this, but I think the example of Omar (RA) suffices. This is a well known story : Al-Khara'iti quoted in "Makarim Al-Akhlaq" on the authority of Thawr Al-Kendi that Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, was making nightly rounds in Al-Madina when he heard a man singing in a house. He entered by scaling a wall and found a woman with him and wine. Omar said "you! enemy of Allah. Do you think that Allah, glorified be he, would not expose you whilst you commit a sin? The man said: "And you O commander of the Faithful! don't be so harsh on me. I disobeyed Allah in one thing, while you disobeyed Him in three: He, highly exalted be He, says: AND ESPY NOT and you spied. He, glorified be He, says: SO ENTER THE HOUSES BY THE DOORS THEREOF and you have scaled a wall. He, highly glorified be He, says: ENTER NOT HOUSES OTHER THAN YOURS UNTIL YE HAVE ASKED LEAVE AND INVOKED PEACE ON THE INMATES THEREOF (S24:V27) and you have entered without permission". Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said 'would you be a better one if I pardon you?'. He answered 'Yes' Omar pardoned him and went out. And let's not forget that Omar(RA) was one of the sternest of the Companions. Enough said. |
| NS |
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