Holbrooke's plea for talks with Taliban leader

Press TV ^ | Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:44:31 GMT | AR/MB

[gandalftb]

The Taliban as portrayed in the media does not exist. There is a Shura Council that nominally heads a coalition of various Pakhtun tribal militias, Central Asian gangsters, drug/kidnapping gangs and foreign Sunni jihadists (AQ). Pahktun alliances and loyalties have always been spun around family ties.

The Afghan groups have formally renamed themselves as non-Taliban connected, the Tareek-e-Taliban is the only group wih Taliban in their name and that is only a loose coalition in Waziristan. 2/3 of that group is now neutral and watching the other third (Mehsuds) be attacked.

The label "Taliban" has no operational significance.

[cranked]

“The label “Taliban” has no operational significance.”

Oh, really? Care to explain or further elaborate upon?

[okie01]

Honestly, what purpose is served talking to the Taliban?

What could/should we offer them? And for what?

Instead, shouldn't we be focussing on forming an alliance with the other tribes and factions that we're currently fighting, turning them all against the Taliban...and exterminating them?

Then, I believe, we can depart. We shouldn't have any interest in nation-building in Afghanistan -- a quite different circumstance than Iraq. Instead, what we're after is making a very simple point: Shelter and abet any group that is a danger to the U.S. and we will fly around the world to exterminate you.

[gandalftb]

The true goal of all warfare is to get the enemy to stop fighting. The enemy is not the Taliban, that is just a label for the Mehsud and Ahmadzai Wazir Pahktun irregulars in the AfPak Theater. If Mullah Omar orders them to keep fighting to the death, we will have to kill all of them.

How do we do that for the 60%+ of the enemy residing in Pakistan?

It is an impossible situation and the PakMil ain't up to the task, neither is the Afghan army. OK, that means us, if we don't invade Pakistan, the fight goes on forever. Negotiation with Omar and his Shura Council is the only end-game option.

[gandalftb]

ping

[cranked]

Valid point(s) and argument(s).

My concern is still the matter of legitimizing or the perception of such and if the Taliban/Omar take over, will Afghanistan devolve back to being a terrorist safe haven. But hey, terrorism is my subject matter, not war, per se’, or the trend towards legitimizing quasi-militant and political groups who have a known penchent for supporting terrorist groups.

[gandalftb]

Agreed that any contact lends legitimacy to the other sides leadership. However, Omar's image to his own followers is what would suffer if we contact him. Many would never trust him again, any concessions by him would be seen as a sellout. Other junior leadership around him would chafe at the attention/power he would atract from the media.

Omar remains a pure, mythic warrior if he remains isolated. The only way to corrupt him and his image is to give him public power.

The enemy would be dislocated if they come to the table of our choosing and follow our initiative. Like Obama, Omar and Bin Laden see themselves as historical figures, their only weakness is a rush to establish as big a legacy as they can while they are in power.

We can't play to that and shape the battlefield if we can't set and control the dialogue.