Pick one!
Posted on 09/23/2001 5:53:31 PM PDT by vrwc54
THE garish posters were emblazoned with AK-47 assault rifles and the slogan "Jihad is our existence", exactly matching the mood of the intense, bearded figures seated beneath them.The veteran fighters from Afghanistan's Mujahideen exchanged memories of their victorious war against the former Soviet Union, fought between 1979 and 1989, with delight. On one point, they were adamant - any American soldier entering Afghanistan would share the fate of the Soviet army and almost every other invading force since Alexander the Great.
Mountain tribes, who have the art of warfare in their blood, would use guerrilla tactics against the Americans with the same devastating effect. Maulana Inyadullah, who began fighting the Soviet invasion in 1982 at the age of 16, declared that his fellow Afghans relish the prospect of an American attack.
"War is our best hobby. The sound of guns firing is like music for us. We cannot live without war. We have no other way except jihad," he said.
Veterans of Afghanistan's war against the Soviet Union, when the Mujahideen fought the invaders with large-scale American backing, can be found on any street corner in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The Afghan frontier is barely 30 miles away and there are hundreds of thousands of refugees in the city.
Yet the most experienced fighters are now engaged in other tasks. Mr Inyadullah and his colleagues are based in the office of one of Pakistan's main Muslim fundamentalist parties. By their own account, they are training guerrillas for the war inside Indian controlled Kashmir. What they call "India's terrorism" ranks alongside America in their pantheon of evil.
But if any American troops set foot in Afghanistan, they will return to their homeland and join a new jihad against the latest foreign invader. They view their possible opponent with genial contempt.
Mr Inyadullah, 35, said: "The Americans would be easier to defeat than the Russians. The Americans lead lavish lives and they are afraid of death. We are not afraid of death. The Americans love Pepsi Cola, we love death."
By contrast, the former fighters had a wary respect for Russian soldiers, especially those from the Spetsnaz special forces. Ali Amjud, 40, paid tribute to the prowess of the invaders he had fought from the first to the last day of the 10 year conflict. "The Russians were very brave and they were used to mountain warfare. The Spetsnaz were very dangerous, they climbed mountains like goats."
On one occasion, Mr Amjud awoke to find his mountainside encampment under night attack from a Spetsnaz force. He escaped after six hours of hand to hand fighting. A few months later, when his group ambushed a Soviet armoured column in the Noor Pass, he was hit by splinters from a tank shell and seriously wounded.
Yet Mr Amjud never had any doubts about final victory. "All the weapons, training and technology of the Russians gave way because they had no purpose in life. They only fought for a salary. We fought for the cause of Islam, because Allah commanded us.
"We embraced death, we were willing to be martyrs," he said. Both Mr Amjud and Mr Inyadullah fought with Hezb-e-Islam, a fundamentalist faction of the Mujahideen led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. After the Russians were driven out in 1989, they left Afghanistan to spread the message of jihad, with numerous other veterans.
With messianic zeal, they proclaim that the greatest terrorists in the world are the twin forces of Judaism and America. Yet they are anxious to make a good impression on a isitor. After talking about warfare with relish and railing against the evils of the West, they present a more moderate face.
"We never fight states or religions," said Mr Inyadullah. "We only fight evil. Christians are the closest people to Muslims and the Koran says they are noble people. The American people are Christians and we have nothing against them. It is only their government we fight."
Yet the blazing rhetoric and the posters that glorify slaughter make a deeper impression than the occasional lapse into reassuring words.
Damn, they're getting serious with those blind taste tests.
Bump. Pace Fukuyama, history hasn't "ended"---it's back with a vengeance. Muslims have not ever, do not now, and will not ever accept Western norms or pre-eminence. That means they do not accept democracy, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, equality between the sexes, and a host of other conditions that we take for granted. They certainly will not accept an international order that they do not control.
Yes indeed, this is a war---or really a continuation of the West's age-old war---against Islam. And if we don't realize it now, we'll have to realize it soon.
:->
Mr Inyadullah is going to find out that the desire to live is just as strong or stronger then their hangup on dying. Americans can do more then one thing at once. Like KILLING the enemy and sipping a CocaCola at the same time. ...... Yes Mr Inyadullah...things do go better with CocaCola.
afghan.
A coverlet or shawl of wool, knitted or crocheted in colorful geometric designs.
A carpet of similar design.
An Afghan hound.
I agree with you, nuke 'em till they glow then shoot 'em in the dark.
Pick one!
I guess when Coke was teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, Osama didn't get the memo.
And I wonder what the Wall St Journal has to say now about their proposed Amendment, "There Shall Be No Borders"? Think they learned anything?
Nam Vet
The Afghans are intelligent, brave and fighting on their own land. Is mistake to underestimate, to use mocking words.
Our target is NOT whole of Afghan people. Our mission is to convince young Muslims everywhere that they do NOT wish to fight America. Respect useful here.
We cannot, I think, take away Afghans' desire to fight. We may, perhaps, with intelligence and skill, direct their anger elsewhere.
But I would not want to fight American forces, regular or special. We are fierce, brave and well-trained and equipped. So, Afghans, young Muslims, respect us and rebuild Kabul. Peace.
Or death from above.
For freedom,
Locke
Beyond that, the people doing the underestimating are not us. They're the ones making fun of Pepsi. NOBODY makes fun of Pepsi. ; )
Well then, we have got to get you guys together with our Special Forces. You see...
You love death, and...
They love killing guys like you!
It's a match made in Heaven.
Or in the case of you guys, Hell.
"Oh Get Some Baby! Get Some! Get Some! Get Some! Get Some! Cmon, get it cmon get some! get some! Yeah yeah yeah!".
Yeah, whatever. I was wondering when the mystical nonsense being bandied about regarding these people would ratchet up a notch into fairy-tale territory.
If we’re going to fight mystical people with supernatural powers, we’d better send in our albinos and the mob. Maybe some British soccer hooligans as well.
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