Colonel says Taliban are still recruiting easily

[unhappycamper]

Colonel says Taliban are still recruiting easily
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes[br />Mideast edition, Wednesday, October 3, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. — Six years after the start of the Afghanistan war, the Taliban continues to enjoy a “strong recruiting base” of susceptible young men and boys, a U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Tuesday.

These military-age boys and men view the Taliban as strong and educated leaders, said Army Col. Jonathan Ives, commander of Task Force Cincinnatus, which is responsible for operations in northeast Afghanistan.

“The Taliban at this time has an established rapport with the community and sometimes they are seen as being the right answer, or a secure answer, over the unrest that may exist between the criminal elements and/or the power struggles that exist from one to the other or other type of criminal killings,” Ives said.

Afghanistan expert Tom Gouttierre said he agreed with Ives’ assessment and added that the Taliban are also able to recruit members from outside Afghanistan.

“Large numbers of them are from Pakistan and other parts of the Muslim world, including people from Chechnya as well from central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan,” said Gouttierre, dean of International Studies and Programs at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

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Gouttierre said the solution to the problem is for the central government, instead of corrupt local officials, to provide more security to Afghans.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49219