Comments on: Significant 2007 Events: The Taliban http://registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/ Central Asia News -- All Central Asia, All The Time Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:53:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joshua Foust http://registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/comment-page-1/#comment-376052 Joshua Foust Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:47:54 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/#comment-376052 Inkan, you're right that it started in 2006, but 2007 was when the violence became truly endemic, widespread, and seemingly permanent. In 2005/6 you didn't see Mullah Omar, for example, bragging about occupying entire provinces of the country. The offensive into Arghandab was never meant to be an occupation, simply a way of proving their impunity (that is, if Sarah Chayes' reports are accurate). I don't mean to say this was invented in 2007, merely that it became a permanent, and much deadlier, fixture of life in Afghanistan. Inkan, you’re right that it started in 2006, but 2007 was when the violence became truly endemic, widespread, and seemingly permanent. In 2005/6 you didn’t see Mullah Omar, for example, bragging about occupying entire provinces of the country. The offensive into Arghandab was never meant to be an occupation, simply a way of proving their impunity (that is, if Sarah Chayes’ reports are accurate).

I don’t mean to say this was invented in 2007, merely that it became a permanent, and much deadlier, fixture of life in Afghanistan.

]]> By: Inkan1969 http://registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/comment-page-1/#comment-376044 Inkan1969 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:07:39 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/#comment-376044 I agree with you about the dangerous lack of attention the U.S. and ISAF have always been giving Afghanistan. But I wonder if your regional survey is actually more for Afghanistan of 2006 rather than 2007. I remember the offensive starting in May instead of September, when the Taliban had a large series of battles that resulted in 500 casualties. That was when the Taliban resurgence was really starting to get media attention. But this year, the Taliban were boasting of a spring offensive that never really came. They switched to suicide bombings as an annoyance instead. The Taliban tried to take over Arghandab, but did not succeed. In Pakistan, the situation right now is sour because of the emergency declaration, but right before that the country seemed to be finally taking military action against Taliban sympathizers in FATA, and in places like the Red Mosque. I hope Pakistan can get back to confronting the Taliban again soon. As for Musa Qala, I'm not sure if an immediate retaliation against the takeover would've been a good idea, considering the high civilian casualty toll such an action would've taken. And people are now considering talks with Taliban factions, to exploit divisions in the fractious group. I hope then that 2006 was the year of the Taliban resurgence but 2007 was the year of the Taliban's stagnation. If the Western forces really are reconsidering their strategies and Karzai can push through significant talks, perhaps we then have the Taliban in a stalemate. I agree with you about the dangerous lack of attention the U.S. and ISAF have always been giving Afghanistan. But I wonder if your regional survey is actually more for Afghanistan of 2006 rather than 2007. I remember the offensive starting in May instead of September, when the Taliban had a large series of battles that resulted in 500 casualties. That was when the Taliban resurgence was really starting to get media attention. But this year, the Taliban were boasting of a spring offensive that never really came. They switched to suicide bombings as an annoyance instead. The Taliban tried to take over Arghandab, but did not succeed. In Pakistan, the situation right now is sour because of the emergency declaration, but right before that the country seemed to be finally taking military action against Taliban sympathizers in FATA, and in places like the Red Mosque. I hope Pakistan can get back to confronting the Taliban again soon. As for Musa Qala, I’m not sure if an immediate retaliation against the takeover would’ve been a good idea, considering the high civilian casualty toll such an action would’ve taken. And people are now considering talks with Taliban factions, to exploit divisions in the fractious group. I hope then that 2006 was the year of the Taliban resurgence but 2007 was the year of the Taliban’s stagnation. If the Western forces really are reconsidering their strategies and Karzai can push through significant talks, perhaps we then have the Taliban in a stalemate.

]]> By: Joshua Foust http://registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/comment-page-1/#comment-376043 Joshua Foust Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:56:17 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/#comment-376043 Umm. What? Umm. What?

]]> By: Patriot http://registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/comment-page-1/#comment-376042 Patriot Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:00:02 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/12/18/significant-2007-events-the-taliban/#comment-376042 Joshua Foust must work for the, suppossed, Mullah Omar. The message is the same. Joshua Foust must work for the, suppossed, Mullah Omar.
The message is the same.

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