Link

^for Herati's to take this turn, its an extremely big and suprising deal. This is very interesting and a lot of questions arise!

Click here


^Makes some very valid points but i wonder how can he thinks the Taliban can compete effectively, economically?

there are reports that the talibs are paying large $$$ for people who fight for them. a lot more than they get in the army/police. most likely opium money.

They don't condone smoking (tobacco) but are responsible for 90 per cent (depending upon the season) of the world's heroin...

$$$$$??? Could it not be that they finally realised the truth and decided to make a stand against 7 years of occupation. They may just be sick and tired of all the false promises which have come to nothing for the past 7 years? $$$$ are not the main criterion for those who stand up for justice and fight oppression and injustice.

ABU Ahmed

doubt it but god knows best.

7 years is probably long enough that they have forgotten that the people they are now siding with are the fun-loving Taliban who banned music, kite-flying and art.

The same lunatics who destroyed the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan.

well according to a certain female MP(that gave an interview to the guardian) these talibs are worse that the old talibs.

yeah? thats interesting, perhaps why these Herati's are becoming Talibs. I've always been skeptical of the idea of them selling opium. I wonder were they are getting the money from if not the opium?

Opium production decreased during the time of the Taliban

unless the Russians have a good sense of irony, the ISI has decided to erm screw Pakistan rather badly or unless they have foreign doners, its gota be drugs.

That is true - for the past. In present times, however, they have strongly embraced opium production. Seems as though their "morals" can be swayed by the need for the almighty $ to wage their "just war."

"Six years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban is again flush with funds from opium poppies that are the main source for the world's heroin supply. An estimated 93 per cent of the globe's heroin is sourced from Afghanistan."

Slashing the Taliban's cash crop
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...0-25837,00.html

"The UN World Drug Report 2008 describes the current glut of opium and coca as "a very recent surge" and draws a direct link to Taliban militants in Afghanistan, armed revolutionaries in Colombia and several ethnic insurgency groups in Burma.

"Afghanistan had a record opium poppy harvest in 2007, nearly doubling worldwide illegal opium production.

"UN experts say 80 per cent of the poppy was grown was done in five southern provinces where Taliban fighters profit from drugs."

Insurgencies blamed for rise in opium, coca production
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stor...06/s2287596.htm

erm yes, speaking of "swaying morals", remind me what happened in Dresden.


PS. the point isn't about "whose mass grave is larger. but rather thats its.... unsurprising.

id be interested if anyone could provide a reason to the banning of kite flying, i always thought that was a favoured Afghan past time.

um, dunno, what happened in Dresden?

Whatever did happen, I am sure it is related to the Taliban.

Ever heard of the idiom - "one man's meat is anothers poison"?

ABU Ahmed

As far as I read, kite flying was not totally banned as reported by the media, rather it was banned during the prayer times. Unlike a total banning of many other popular "pass time" activities found in western countries and which compromised or infringed Islamic Law eg. pornography (nowadays disguised as "art"), gambling, alcohol, music, adultery etc etc etc.

ABU Ahmed

I thought I read somewhere that it was banned because people placed bets on the winners? (NB: Please note, source is NOT the darn Kite Runner).

It was when the allies basically razed a large historical town in Germany during ww2. point is that its expected that during war that when push comes to shove, morals fall out of the side. And when it doesn't its unique, Salahudeen(aka Saladin) for example.

Yes it would indeed, if bets were placed and wagers were made! To the innocent bystander it would appear as an innocent act of Kite Flying, whilst in actual fact it amounted to Gambling. The gambling part would have been deliberately excluded by the media when reporting the banning of kite flying..........

Who cares about kite flying and banana eatting. Worry about real injustices like massacres

Source
Coalition airstrike kills 9 Afghans, officials say

KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S.-led coalition airstrike mistakenly hit an Afghan army checkpoint early Wednesday, killing nine soldiers and wounding three others, Afghan officials said.

The strike hit an army checkpoint in Sayed Kheil area of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan, said Arsallah Jamal, the province's governor.

The U.S. said its forces "may have mistakenly killed and injured" Afghan soldiers from what may have been a case of mistaken identity "on both sides."

"As a Coalition forces convoy was returning from a previous operation, they were involved in multiple engagements," a U.S. military statement said. "As a result of the engagements, ANA (Afghan army) soldiers were killed and injured."

Jamal said the U.S. and Afghan troops have been conducting operations in the region for over a week, and the army checkpoint was in a fixed location. The strike killed nine soldiers and wounded three, said Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Defense Ministry spokesman.
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^sure won't help the coalition in their defence