yep....
Posted on 03/18/2005 9:32:47 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
By Andrew North
BBC News, eastern Afghanistan
They are nervous, frequently tugging on their beards. Neither man wants to give his name.
"It is very dangerous for us," says one. "Both here and in Pakistan."
They are former members of the Taleban, allowed to return to their homes in Khost under a low-key reconciliation initiative here, involving the US military and local Afghan officials.
There are cautious hopes such efforts could help end the Taleban insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan since 2003.
The message from these two men is that it is already fading.
"The majority of the Taleban are tired," said one.
Yet still only a handful have responded to these US and Afghan offers and come in from the cold.
The US military's initiative is known as the "allegiance programme".
It is aimed at lower level figures, the "rank and file Taleban", as Colonel Gary Cheek, US commander for Eastern Afghanistan, puts it.
In return for promising to give up violence and pledging support to the government of Hamid Karzai, they are granted an amnesty.
If someone approaches US troops asking to join the scheme "we'll take some data down on him", explains Col Cheek, "and make a formal declaration".
"Then we'll send him on his way and if he's good to his word, he'll be all right."
They are given an ID card, which they can show if they should be arrested in the future by US or Afghan security forces.
Senior Taleban leaders are excluded - though exactly which ones has still not been made clear.
But American commanders have gone further with this reconciliation drive. In some cases, they have released militants from US detention.
In his area, Col Cheek has set free a man allegedly linked to several bomb attacks. The man has subsequently been appointed as a local police chief in one eastern province.
Col Cheek admits he had doubts about the move, but "as it's turned out, it's been a very positive measure - the security's much better there, the populous are very pleased with how he is doing".
More controversially, he has released another man directly implicated in an attack that killed five people last year in Paktika province, including a popular local doctor.
Col Cheek admits cases like this call into question the whole basis for detaining other suspected militants.
The US military has an estimated 500 people still in custody at its Bagram and Kandahar bases - all held without charge.
Slow progress
But he says these releases have only happened on the recommendation of local Afghan officials, as part of their own reconciliation efforts.
"We are working with the government and we are pretty much doing what the government would want us to do."
But things have changed, he adds: "Maybe a year or two ago this might not have happened."
Nonetheless, it is a dramatic change in strategy.
However, the military has little to show for its efforts since it announced the programme three months ago.
In eastern Afghanistan, just five militants have been signed up, according to Col Cheek.
Nationwide, US commanders say they have had about 30 in total.
But with the number of Taleban attacks down significantly, US officers insist the hardline movement is a declining force.
The Khost provincial governor, Mirajuddin Pathan, agrees and says through his contacts he believes "there are many Taleban who want to come home".
A large number of them are from the Pakistani tribal areas just across the border from Khost.
This province is a good place to test the mood. Nestling against the Pakistan border, it was one of the Taleban's strongholds and has seen some of the worst violence of the past two years.
Al-Qaeda had one of its main bases here until 2001. Some 40 of its members killed in a US air strike are buried just outside the city at a place which has become an unofficial memorial.
When the BBC visited, there was a steady stream of locals arriving to pay their respects to people they regard as martyrs.
The grave sites - some marked simply with the words "Arab Martyr" are festooned in colourful pieces of cloth.
Many of the plots are covered with rice and seeds, placed there as offerings.
The graves bring miracles, some say.
"My daughter couldn't walk," one old man told me. "But now after bringing her here three times, she is fine again."
Yet several Taleban figures the BBC spoke to in Khost said support for continuing the battle against the Americans is waning.
One dismissed the idea put about by some militant leaders that this is a "jihad" or holy war, like the struggle against the Soviet invasion.
"It is like the difference between sky and land," he said. "What the Americans are doing here is completely different to the Russians."
Another said: "The Taleban are still organised, but they cannot overthrow the government or cause any serious trouble."
He had been living in the town of Miram Shah, in the tribal agency, or region, of North Waziristan.
Reprisals threat
However, his friend said that although other Taleban still there want to return, they are still not convinced it is safe.
"One reason so few have come back is because so many of our friends are still in Bagram and Guantanamo Bay. If more people were released, they will believe the process is real," he said.
"But the majority of the Taleban are tired, if there are proper talks with the government most will give up their weapons."
But he said they are also scared of possible reprisals by hardliners in the tribal areas, including members of al-Qaeda.
And that is why many say that even if reconciliation efforts gain more momentum, there will not be peace.
In statements, Taleban leaders have vowed to keep the attacks going.
And at Camp Salerno, the main US base in Khost, troops are still preparing for more clashes.
Change of tone
But what both US commanders and Afghan officials in Khost say is really needed is for President Hamid Karzai to set out an official nationwide policy on reconciliation.
The Afghan leader has in the past said he would welcome back any Taleban not involved in serious crimes.
It is now thought only 30 senior figures, including Taleban leader Mullah Omar, would be kept out.
But months after the idea was first discussed, no-one knows for sure and that uncertainty has held reconciliation efforts back.
With the Taleban still deeply reviled in some quarters - particularly among the Shia Hazaras who suffered particularly under Taleban rule - it is a highly sensitive issue for Mr Karzai.
Colonel Cheek says he understands the difficulties for the Afghan leader.
But he says: "As an American, with the American experience with our civil war, our reconstruction was based on malice toward none and charity to all, healing the wounds of conflict."
That is a very different message to the one the Americans were sending when they first arrived here, when all Taleban were irredeemable terrorists.
Now they are hoping that this more conciliatory approach could eventually be the key to bringing the Taleban insurgency to an end.
You knew things were going well in Afghanistan when MSM stopped reporting about it.
Looks like the same is slowly happening in Iraq.
Iraq and Afghanistan should continue to dominate news cycles, because of the impact they have on American foreign policy. But, because they represent success by a Republican president, especially President Bush, as things calm down and start to go better, the press will let it slide from their reporting.
Oh Tailban
Oh Taliban
We kicked your asses
In Afghanistan
BBC still had to get in the obligatory knee-jerk "See how inconsistent those hypocrite Americans are" dig.
And by the way...when did the spelling of "Taliban" change to "Taleban"? Or is that one of those goofy UK spellings? (England and America: Two countries separated by a common language.)
Carolyn
And the same will happen with the Iraqi terrorists in process of time. They'll get tired and give up the fight too as they see they are not able to drive the US military out, that they cannot stop the formation of an elected government and that further elections will not be prevented either. As General Myers pointed out, terrorist attacks in Iraq are down. I predict by summer 2006 the "insurgency" in Iraq will be largely a minor nuisance like the Taliban "insurgency" now is in Afghanistan.
If I want a snapshot of what MSM is reporting, all I do is go to msn.com and read the headlines.
Not much about Iraq lately, imagine that.
Yeah, and that comes under the heading of "yawn" and how does this affect me personally?
Taxes, foreign policy and judicial activism affect everyone in this country far more than a bunch of athletes who take drugs.
And they said they were gonna fight to the death. First they ran and now they quit.
Why of course, those are the really important things to the America public.(heavy sarcasm)
Doesn't matter that atheletes have been using steriods for 30 years. It's old news really.
One reason for being slow to come in is that they probably are worried that their buddies will kill them for betraying the cause.
As time passes, the pace will probably pick up.
Iraq and Afghanistan are obviously far more immediate and urgent issues. I think it's silly that Congress is getting involved: The laws are on the books, let's just enforce them and quit with the grandstanding.
On the other hand, baseball, particularly the Players Union, has arrogantly and spitefully refused to deal with the problem so I don't feel the least bit sorry for the individual players and the league as a whole being dragged through the mud. (And btw, how did "Popeye" Bonds get out of testifying?)
I like Charles Barkley but he was just plain WRONG about athletes not being role models for kids, especially boys. They are, always have been, and always will be. Barkley saying it ain't so doesn't mean a (expletive deleted) thing, it changes nothing.
The only question is whether they will be good role models or bad.
The majority were just opportunists who were convinced that Allah was going to grant them a great victory and 72 virgins and maybe they could curry favor with the Taleban and get some goodies. Cold, tired, hungry, dirty (but I guess that "dirty" goes without saying;^), and without a significant win in years, only the absolute fanatics will keep going.
I agree completely.
Yer damn straight. This morning I spoke with a friend who is outside of Bagram AFB. This morning he went to a small village in the mountains with some of the Army brass to check on the people. They bring water, pencils and, writing paper with them every time they go to this village and he said the appreciation of the people is unbelievable. He made the remark that if the Americans were attacked during these visits - the villagers would fight alongside the Americans, they love them so much.
He's been there for about a month now and was surprised how well respected the allies are when he first got there. And, he's pissed that although there are reporters there - the only time they see anything on the cable channels is when it is negative news. He said there is so much good going on there but they see first hand how the MSM wish to only portray the bad news there.
"A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend." -Eric Hoffer
I've heard everything from "planned knee surgery", to them wanting to avoid a "mob scene" to "this is only the first step". My guess is they're saving him for a solo appearance to maximize their exposure for the cameras.
>Finally, they are quitting.
Finally they are feeling the deep power in the meaning of the words President Bush so eloquently spoke on October 7, 2001:
We Will Not WaiverGod Bless every one of our dedicated soldiers who so willingly give up much so the rest of us can rest easily.
We Will Not Tire
We Will Not Falter
We WILL NOT FAIL
Peace and Freedom will Prevail
About the same time "Indian teepee" changed to "Native American tipi" I think.
yep....
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