*** The Taliban have frequently shown themselves to have no respect for legitimate and respected scholars having killed many of them already. Women and children are of course, business as usual thanks to indiscriminate bombings of public places which in their twisted minds is called Jihad. Another 10 years - another superpower, the cycle continues... MS ***
FROM: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100603/n_top_news/cnews_us_afghanistan_jirga
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan tribal leaders and other notables agreed at a peace meeting Thursday that an opening had to be made to Taliban insurgents because neither foreign forces nor the Afghan army had been able to ensure security, the deputy head of the conference said.
Qiyamuddin Kashaf said nearly 1,600 delegates gathered for a traditional jirga to discuss President Hamid Karzai's peace proposals agreed that the jirga (gathering) was their last chance to bring peace.
"The most important point (among the suggestions) was that this will be our last jirga and if we cannot open the window for peace then we cannot go to the main gate."
The Taliban insurgency is at its most intense since their overthrow in 2001 by U.S.-led coalition forces and they have carried out a series of high profile attacks around the country despite thousands of additional troops deployed by the United States to help stabilize the country.
Wednesday, the Taliban fired rockets and engaged in gunfire with security forces as Afghan President Hamid Karzai launched the peace jirga in the west of the capital. None of the delegates were wounded but the attack showed their ability to strike at a time when security is at the highest levels.
"All agreed that our problem has reached the stage by which we can definitely say that nor the foreign forces and neither our national troops are able to bring peace and security to Afghanistan," said Kashaf, who is also the a member of the ulema council, made up of the country's top religious scholars.
With war escalating more than nine years after the fall of the Taliban despite the presence of some 140,000 Western troops and rising casualties among them, several NATO countries have been hesitant to send soldiers to the battle zones.
The U.S. is also planning to begin scaling down its presence from the middle of next year and several alliance nations have said they will not extend their mission.
Hundreds of delegates reflecting Afghan tribes, politics and geography, deliberated over Karzai's peace proposals in 28 small groups set up to forge a consensus.
They will report back to jirga chairman Burhanuddin Rabani, who is a former president, for adoption of a resolution at the close of the conference Friday.
The peace plan consists of luring Taliban foot soldiers back to the mainstream with cash and job incentives while seeking reconciliation with senior figures by offering them asylum in a Muslim country and striking their names off a UN blacklist.
Several delegates said the authorities must reach out to the top figures in the insurgency rather than focus on low level fighters.
"The removal of Taliban leaders' names from the lists, release of prisoners can lead to creating trust in the negotiators and also ease hostility between the warring sides," said Mohammad Masood Akhundzada, a shrine custodian from the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
TALIBAN REJECT TALKS
The Taliban have so far scoffed at the idea of talks saying all foreign forces must first leave the country. They have instead announced a spring offensive against the U.S.-led NATO forces and stepped up attacks.
U.S-led NATO forces are expected to launch an operation against them in their spiritual capital of Kandahar in the next few weeks that some believe may force them to reconsider their opposition to talks.
"The jirga is the beginning of the process, not the end of the process. This is a process where all Afghans should be involved because they have suffered for a long time ... because of the cycle of violence," said Masoon Stanakzai, a top adviser to Karzai.
Hundreds of police and security forces have been deployed on the streets surrounding the campus where the conference is taking place and in the hillsides overlooking the tent.
Showing posts with label taliban negotiate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taliban negotiate. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
TALIBAN : NOW HIRING
*** Deal with the conditions that give rise to such desperation and you will win. Bomb the land of its insurgents, walk away and leave those conditions remaining --- and you'll have no choice but to come back to fight again. MS ***
FROM: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/pakistan/article/763739--taliban-target-jobless-youth
Pakistan–Since Tajamal Hussain lost his job in a textiles factory two months ago, the 19-year-old has walked the streets of this gritty city searching for work.
Trouble is, the Taliban seem to be the only ones hiring nowadays.
"Yes, I will consider joining," Hussain said, sipping tea in a shanty in Faisalabad's factory district.
"I have to eat."
International attention for months has been focused on South Waziristan, a remote, mountainous region up against the Afghan border where Pakistan's army is battling Taliban fundamentalists. Yet a storm is also brewing in Faisalabad, some 270 kilometres south of the capital, Islamabad, and Pakistan's third largest city with a population of 5 million.
A booming textiles trade once attracted young, unskilled labourers from across the country, but these days, with an energy crisis crippling Pakistan, factories are closing and an estimated 200,000 textile workers have lost their jobs.
That has left Hussain and others like him stewing in the back alleys of a city with a history of close ties to extremism. Several Islamic militants – including Abu Zubaydah, Al Qaeda's purported No. 3 operative – have been captured here.
"Pakistan is a country of 170 million people, where half of them are under age 21 with poor prospects for their future," said South Asia specialist Daniel Markey, formerly with the U.S. State Department.
"This is a hard story to tell. I don't think the West realizes how huge it is. These problems are not going to end when Bin Laden's head is on a platter."
On a recent morning, another group of laid-off textile workers helped illustrate why the Taliban may draw more recruits from this city.
Muhammad Shafique is 37 and has worked the looms of Faisalabad since he was 12. His wife and two children live in rural Samundri, while Shafique shares a room with three other labourers.
Over cups of chai and countless cigarettes, Shafique spent an hour explaining to a visitor how disastrous it would be to support the Taliban. "We already have a crisis and joining hands with terrorists would only make it worse," he said.
But as the morning wore on and, perhaps, his sugary tea took effect, Shafique's tone changed. "I will join any fight against America," he said in a loud voice, his stare flinty.
Already, Faisalabad's unemployed are growing desperate.
In the space of a week, a bank was robbed and a man taking his two daughters to school was stopped by armed gunmen.
"They pointed the gun at him and his daughters and told him to get off his motorcycle," said Wazir Ahmad Wato, who works for a community organization on water and sanitation issues. "This is becoming usual here and there's no doubt the Taliban are watching and can take advantage. They have agents everywhere."
Wato said it's unclear how much the Taliban pays new recruits, but recent rumours suggest a payout of 500,000 rupees, ($6,275 Canadian) to would-be suicide bombers.
Police superintendent Yousaf Ali Houral doesn't doubt the Taliban are combing the streets of Faisalabad for supporters. "They will exploit the situation," he said.
Gareth Price, head of the Asia program at London research centre Chatham House, said it may be just a matter of time before the textile industry's woes add to Pakistan's security misery.
"Tens and hundreds of thousands of young men are losing their jobs," he said. "The next question for Pakistan is what do they do? Do they blame the government and go and get linked up with extremists? The answer to that question will determine what happens to the country."
FROM: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/pakistan/article/763739--taliban-target-jobless-youth
Pakistan–Since Tajamal Hussain lost his job in a textiles factory two months ago, the 19-year-old has walked the streets of this gritty city searching for work.
Trouble is, the Taliban seem to be the only ones hiring nowadays.
"Yes, I will consider joining," Hussain said, sipping tea in a shanty in Faisalabad's factory district.
"I have to eat."
International attention for months has been focused on South Waziristan, a remote, mountainous region up against the Afghan border where Pakistan's army is battling Taliban fundamentalists. Yet a storm is also brewing in Faisalabad, some 270 kilometres south of the capital, Islamabad, and Pakistan's third largest city with a population of 5 million.
A booming textiles trade once attracted young, unskilled labourers from across the country, but these days, with an energy crisis crippling Pakistan, factories are closing and an estimated 200,000 textile workers have lost their jobs.
That has left Hussain and others like him stewing in the back alleys of a city with a history of close ties to extremism. Several Islamic militants – including Abu Zubaydah, Al Qaeda's purported No. 3 operative – have been captured here.
"Pakistan is a country of 170 million people, where half of them are under age 21 with poor prospects for their future," said South Asia specialist Daniel Markey, formerly with the U.S. State Department.
"This is a hard story to tell. I don't think the West realizes how huge it is. These problems are not going to end when Bin Laden's head is on a platter."
On a recent morning, another group of laid-off textile workers helped illustrate why the Taliban may draw more recruits from this city.
Muhammad Shafique is 37 and has worked the looms of Faisalabad since he was 12. His wife and two children live in rural Samundri, while Shafique shares a room with three other labourers.
Over cups of chai and countless cigarettes, Shafique spent an hour explaining to a visitor how disastrous it would be to support the Taliban. "We already have a crisis and joining hands with terrorists would only make it worse," he said.
But as the morning wore on and, perhaps, his sugary tea took effect, Shafique's tone changed. "I will join any fight against America," he said in a loud voice, his stare flinty.
Already, Faisalabad's unemployed are growing desperate.
In the space of a week, a bank was robbed and a man taking his two daughters to school was stopped by armed gunmen.
"They pointed the gun at him and his daughters and told him to get off his motorcycle," said Wazir Ahmad Wato, who works for a community organization on water and sanitation issues. "This is becoming usual here and there's no doubt the Taliban are watching and can take advantage. They have agents everywhere."
Wato said it's unclear how much the Taliban pays new recruits, but recent rumours suggest a payout of 500,000 rupees, ($6,275 Canadian) to would-be suicide bombers.
Police superintendent Yousaf Ali Houral doesn't doubt the Taliban are combing the streets of Faisalabad for supporters. "They will exploit the situation," he said.
Gareth Price, head of the Asia program at London research centre Chatham House, said it may be just a matter of time before the textile industry's woes add to Pakistan's security misery.
"Tens and hundreds of thousands of young men are losing their jobs," he said. "The next question for Pakistan is what do they do? Do they blame the government and go and get linked up with extremists? The answer to that question will determine what happens to the country."
Monday, January 25, 2010
TALKING WITH THE TALIBAN
FROM: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100125/n_top_news/cnews_us_afghanistan
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday western allies backed his plans to reconcile with Taliban fighters and U.S. generals said leaders of the insurgency eventually could be brought into talks.
General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said the fighting would get harder before the situation improved, as the United States sends an extra 30,000 troops to break a stalemate in Afghanistan.
But both he and General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, held out the possibility of eventual talks with the Taliban leadership to end a war which is now into its ninth year.
While Karzai was working on a formal reintegration program for Taliban fighters -- expected to win backing at an international conference in London on Thursday -- talks could eventually be held with their leaders, Petraeus said.
"The concept of reconciliation, of talks between senior Afghan officials and senior Taliban or other insurgent leaders, perhaps involving some Pakistani officials as well, is another possibility," he told The Times newspaper.
McChrystal told the Financial Times he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough for its leaders to accept a peace deal and held out the possibility the Taliban eventually could help run the country.
"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on the way forward," he said.
"I think any Afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past," he said when asked whether he would be content to see Taliban leaders in a future Afghan government.
The conference in London on Thursday is expected to agree a framework for the Afghan government to begin taking charge of security, in line with a timetable set by President Barack Obama to start drawing down U.S. troops in 2011.
Karzai, speaking after meeting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul, said Afghanistan had the backing of its allies, including the United States and Europe, for renewed efforts at reconciliation.
DECISIVE PHASE
Attempts to win over Taliban fighters have met with only limited success in the past, but Karzai is hoping international funding will underpin a more formal reconciliation program.
The program, combined with extra troops, is meant to weaken the insurgency ahead of any eventual talks with its leaders.
Asked whether Pakistan was trying to persuade the Afghan Taliban to enter some kind of peace negotiations, Zardari said: "We have to talk about peace. If there are any people who are reconcilable, democracy always welcomes them back."
The Istanbul meeting was the latest in a series organized by Turkey to ease distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan has long played an important role in Afghan affairs, having nurtured the Afghan Taliban during the 1990s, but Kabul remains suspicious that Islamabad is pursuing its own agenda in the country to the detriment of Afghanistan.
In a sign of the potential significance of the meeting, the talks were being attended by military and intelligence officials from both countries, including the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
EU foreign ministers in Brussels also were meeting on Monday to coordinate their plans for Afghanistan, which British Foreign Secretary said had reached a decisive moment.
"The combination of a new Afghan government and a new focus of the international military and civilian efforts means that this is going to be a decisive period in the Afghan campaign.
"There's a new government in Kabul, there's a new military strategy, there's a new civilian surge ... it's very important that we get the political strategy right at this time."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the conference in London late last year in the hope of galvanizing international efforts to secure Afghanistan. It is expected to be attended by ministers from some 60 countries.
On Tuesday, Turkey is hosting a meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors and near-neighbors -- which will include Miliband as well as ministers from China and Iran -- to seek a common approach to the conflict ahead of the London talks.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday western allies backed his plans to reconcile with Taliban fighters and U.S. generals said leaders of the insurgency eventually could be brought into talks.
General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said the fighting would get harder before the situation improved, as the United States sends an extra 30,000 troops to break a stalemate in Afghanistan.
But both he and General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, held out the possibility of eventual talks with the Taliban leadership to end a war which is now into its ninth year.
While Karzai was working on a formal reintegration program for Taliban fighters -- expected to win backing at an international conference in London on Thursday -- talks could eventually be held with their leaders, Petraeus said.
"The concept of reconciliation, of talks between senior Afghan officials and senior Taliban or other insurgent leaders, perhaps involving some Pakistani officials as well, is another possibility," he told The Times newspaper.
McChrystal told the Financial Times he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough for its leaders to accept a peace deal and held out the possibility the Taliban eventually could help run the country.
"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on the way forward," he said.
"I think any Afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past," he said when asked whether he would be content to see Taliban leaders in a future Afghan government.
The conference in London on Thursday is expected to agree a framework for the Afghan government to begin taking charge of security, in line with a timetable set by President Barack Obama to start drawing down U.S. troops in 2011.
Karzai, speaking after meeting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul, said Afghanistan had the backing of its allies, including the United States and Europe, for renewed efforts at reconciliation.
DECISIVE PHASE
Attempts to win over Taliban fighters have met with only limited success in the past, but Karzai is hoping international funding will underpin a more formal reconciliation program.
The program, combined with extra troops, is meant to weaken the insurgency ahead of any eventual talks with its leaders.
Asked whether Pakistan was trying to persuade the Afghan Taliban to enter some kind of peace negotiations, Zardari said: "We have to talk about peace. If there are any people who are reconcilable, democracy always welcomes them back."
The Istanbul meeting was the latest in a series organized by Turkey to ease distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan has long played an important role in Afghan affairs, having nurtured the Afghan Taliban during the 1990s, but Kabul remains suspicious that Islamabad is pursuing its own agenda in the country to the detriment of Afghanistan.
In a sign of the potential significance of the meeting, the talks were being attended by military and intelligence officials from both countries, including the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
EU foreign ministers in Brussels also were meeting on Monday to coordinate their plans for Afghanistan, which British Foreign Secretary said had reached a decisive moment.
"The combination of a new Afghan government and a new focus of the international military and civilian efforts means that this is going to be a decisive period in the Afghan campaign.
"There's a new government in Kabul, there's a new military strategy, there's a new civilian surge ... it's very important that we get the political strategy right at this time."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the conference in London late last year in the hope of galvanizing international efforts to secure Afghanistan. It is expected to be attended by ministers from some 60 countries.
On Tuesday, Turkey is hosting a meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors and near-neighbors -- which will include Miliband as well as ministers from China and Iran -- to seek a common approach to the conflict ahead of the London talks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
