Whatever Were We Thinking? Talibs Overrun 8 Provincial Capitals in Just 5 Days.

 


My apologies for this map. It reflects the spread of the Taliban in Afghanistan as of August 8. It's two days out of date. Since then the Talibs have bagged three more provincial capitals, eight in all. Kandahar, where Canadian soldiers fought and died for so many years, is now in Taliban control.

Of the countries four major cities, only Kabul is still under government control.  Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz have reportedly fallen to the Talibs.

Afghanistan has a circular highway, Hwy 1, that is the commercial lifeline of the nation.  Much of it is now under Taliban control and ordinary Afghans seem to like it that way.

At a dusty bus station on this city's outskirts, ticket hawkers call out for passengers to the southern city of Kandahar. It's a 300-mile route — and the Taliban control key parts of the highway.

There are gun battles along the route, and the Taliban undertake violent ambushes of Afghan forces.

But for bus driver Jan Mohammad, the highway seems to be the safest it has been in years because of the Taliban. "We are at ease now because the police don't harass us for bribes," says Jan Mohammad, 32, who like many Afghans, does not have a family name. Talibs even issue receipts for customs duties they collect so that drivers don't have to pay again, he says. And there's less highway robbery, he adds: "Robbers can't even spend five minutes on the road, because the Talibs zip over on their motorbikes whenever they hear of a problem."



Yet he acknowledges it's not safe for everyone. "They check the IDs of passengers," he says. "If you are with the Afghan military, they take you off the bus." Rights groups say the Taliban have detained and sometimes killed those suspected of working with government security forces.

Analysts say the insurgents have been growing stronger for years. Now, as American and NATO troops withdraw, the Taliban appear even more emboldened and are wresting more territory from the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

"Even the smallest mujahid feels like we defeated a superpower, and all the world combined," says a Taliban commander, who is second in charge of military operations in a Kabul district.

Comments

  1. rumleyfipsAugust 10, 2021 at 1:47 PM

    Aren't the Taliban Afgan citizens ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Disaffected LibAugust 10, 2021 at 3:33 PM

      I'm not sure what you're getting at, Rumley. Aren't Texans Americans? Sure they are. Are they Americans if they claim dominion over the United States? I'm not so sure.

      Delete
  2. TrailblazerAugust 10, 2021 at 5:34 PM

    According to a friend that has spent a lot of time in the area there are (marginally) good Taliban and bad Taliban.
    Taliban are religious fundamentalists as are many Christian groups in the western world.
    As with all fundamentalists there are extremists, just look to the USA and rural Alberta.
    Add that Afghanistan has never been a unified country we have yet another example of religions degradation of humanity.
    Whatever religion touches it poisons.

    TB

    TB

    ReplyDelete
  3. TrailblazerAugust 10, 2021 at 6:47 PM

    FWIW,,
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/08/10/afghanistan-papers-book-dick-cheney-attack/

    TB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Disaffected LibAugust 12, 2021 at 8:45 AM

      Yes there are "moderate" Talibs. They don't hold sway at the moment. Perhaps, with time, they can influence the others but don't count on it.

      Here's something to ponder. It's the Powell Doctrine consisting of eight criteria, all of which must be met before committing US forces to a ground war:

      Is a vital national security interest threatened?
      Do we have a clear attainable objective?
      Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
      Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
      Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
      Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
      Is the action supported by the American people?
      Do we have genuine broad international support?

      A failed war-without-end was clearly preordained.

      Delete

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