Russians Give Message to U.S. Generals in Afghanistan: Bribe the Taliban

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

Minutes of Secret Meeting Between Russian Veterans and Gen. Stanley McChrystal Also Say 'More Troops Won't Make A Difference'

Two Russian veterans of the Soviet Afghan war privately warned Gen. Stanley McChrystal last summer that the key to winning the war would be to pay off the Taliban. The official who wrote up a summary of two meetings between the Russians and U.S. military commanders also wrote that one of the "key take-aways" from the meetings was that extra troops were not the key to victory.

ABCNews.com has obtained a document summarizing the discussions between two veterans of the Soviet Union's failed Afghan war and McChrystal, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, during an August 2009 video teleconference. The document also summarizes a private in-person meeting in Moscow between the two Russians and American Brig. Gen. Henry Nowak.

The video teleconference was intended to give McChrystal the Russian perspective on how they fought the war against the Afghan mujahideen, and provide advice on how the Americans could fight a better war against the Taliban. One of the two Russians was Vladimir Shabanov, a former Soviet official who was stationed in Afghanistan for ten years, while the other was Soviet war hero Lt. Gen Ruslan Sultanovich Aushev, a Muslim from the Ingush ethnic group.

Chief among the Russians' advice to McChrystal was "money talks." The Russians suggested that the Americans build mosques for Afghans and pay mullahs to preach a Western-friendly form of Islam. "Tribal leaders and regular folks can be bought off," the Russians told their American counterparts.

The written summary of the meetings also says that one of the five "Key Take-Aways" was that "(m)ore troops won't make a difference."

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/russians-give-message-us-generals-afghanistan-bribe-taliban/story?id=10127424

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read the document here http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Blotter/ht_mcchrystal_100317.pdf

[sandnsea]

1. Or just help Greg Mortenson build schools

http://www.penniesforpeace.org

[Johnyawl]

2. Yes. Of course. That worked out so well for the Soviets.

Can we find someone who's actually won a guerilla war to take advice from.

[maxsolomon]

4. it worked (sort of) in Iraq, didn't it?

the Sunni Awakening was "funded" by our tax dollars.

[Socal31]

7. I will try and channel Washington on my Ouji board.

[jimmil]

3. I have long said that...

You can defeat an army but you can't defeat a country.

[cosmicone]

5. Destroy Pakistani ISI and force Pakistan to cut back on its

military and Taliban will be gone automatically.

Taliban exists ONLY because Pakistan wants to control Afghanistan -- if Pakistan is cut down to size, there will be no more Taliban.

[Arctic Dave]

6. Was against another country, brilliant!

The only thing that will accomplish is more and better weaponry going to the Taliban.