U.S. Does Not Consider Taliban Terrorists
Even as the Taliban attacks US, Canadian, and British forces, organization is left off terror list in 'political' decision
Courtesy Of: The Christian Science Monitor
By Tom Regan
May 2, 2006
When the US State Department issued its annual Country Reports on Terrorism [1] last Friday, it listed numerous state-sponsors terrorism, like Iran, and groups it considers Foreign Terrorist Organizations [2], like Hamas, Al Qaeda, and Hizbullah. Conspicously absent from the lists, however, was the Taliban.
In an article entitled "Terrorism's Dubious 'A' List," the non-partisan Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reports that the religious extremist organization has never been listed [3] as a terrorist groups by the US, Britain, the EU, Canada, Australia, or any coalition partners, despite the fact that during its six year rule in Afghanistan, it provided safe haven for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and currently is staging terrorist attacks against coalition forces and waging a national campaign of intimidation and fear.
The new report did designate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region as a terrorist "haven," however.
In a CFR Q&A on the Taliban, Christopher Langdon, a defense expert at the Institute for International Strategic Studies, describes the group as "An Insurgency Organization" that will periodically "Use terrorism to carry out its operations."[4]
According to Kathy Gannon, the former Associated Press bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, these [Taliban] have at times aligned themselves with Al Qaeda fighters and with Mujahedeen (holy warriors) led by the anti-government warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
During the Soviet Occupation, Hekmatyar received more support from US and Pakistan agents than any other fighter.
"The Afghan Taliban is better organized today than it was in 2001," says Gannon, "They have more recruits [and they] have been able to take advantage of the lawlessness, the criminal gangs, and the corruption in the government."
Langton says Taliban forces "Have largely recovered from their initial defeat," and are proving a savvy enemy for coalition forces. Taliban fighters have become encouraged by the domestic opposition some NATO nations face as they deploy in former Taliban strongholds previously patrolled by US forces, he say. "They are very adept at reading these signals and seeing where the weaknesses lie."
...The steadily worsening situation in Southern Afghanistan is not the work of some ineffable Al Qaeda nebula. It is the result of the real depredations of the corrupt and predatory government officials whom the United States ushered into power in 2001, supposedly to help fight Al Qaeda.
Source:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0502/dailyUpdate.html
/Peace To All