TIME: Where the Taliban Rules (Again)

[tuvor]

Government authority in parts of southern Afghanistan has been eclipsed by a resurgent Taliban. And the insurgents are gaining momentum

NATO troops taking charge of security in southern Afghanistan are entering what is quickly becoming a war zone, as the Taliban makes its boldest strides since it was driven from power by the U.S. and its allies in November 2001. Although Afghan government officials in Kandahar insist that "we are taking control on everything, the area has been calm since two months," residents of the city and its surroundings view things differently. Businesses have closed, and recent intense clashes between Taliban fighters and security forces have created a sense that the political order installed in Kabul after the Taliban's ouster may itself be about to collapse — under pressure from the resurgent Taliban insurgency and under the weight of its own dependence on local warlords.

The insurgent onslaught is helped by the fact that the government in the south appears to be incapable of delivering on the promise of democracy. Says Abdul Qadar, director of Human Rights Watch in Kandahar, "Warlords are part of the problem and, unofficially, they are controlling the Government administration."

That may have been a familiar problem, except that under the new political order the population expected to have recourse to the national legislature, the president and the constitution. But the priority of the Karzai government has been security, which remains elusive and makes the government ever-reliant on the support of the warlords. "The people's expectations were not met," says Qadar. "They have lost trust in constitutional law and parliament, because they did not receive any help."

Moreover, says Qadar, the Taliban is not the only threat to security: "The Taliban must not be blamed for all of the violence which we are hearing and seeing. The warlords are also involved in that."


Members of the Canadian Light Infantry guard 10 suspected Taliban prisoners captured in Northern Kandahar on May 10, 2006.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1194306,00.html?cnn=yes

(Thanks to DeepModem Mom for originally posting this in GD: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1202499)

[Spazito]

1. The Taliban/war lords have always controlled everywhere

outside of Kabul, that hasn't changed from the outset. The "resurgence" occurs every summer and quiets down over winter.

[Canadian_moderate]

2. I think this confirms the need for Canada to help Afghanistan

by seeing this through instead of packing up and goinmg to Darfur, where Canadian troops may be equally unwelcome to their hostile enemies.

Most of Afghanistan is happy to be free of the Taliban tyranny. Of course, many are still being terrorize, but the Taliban is certainly weaker than it was back in September 2001.

Yes, there is chaos and violence, but sometime force is necessary when dealing with totalitarians such as the Taliban.

I, for one, am proud that Canada is leading the effort to help the people of Afghanistan fight for their humanitarian rights and freedoms. Most Canadian soldiers also seem to support their mission. This is different from Iraq. The Taliban hosted Al-Qaeda and they supported terrorist attacks against innocent civilians.