ArnoldRimmer said:
But the fact that the Afghanistan people themselves don't want the western military forces either kind of shows that this doesn't really answer the original question. And most Afghanis are very well aware that the Taliban are just a by-product of earlier US involvement in Afghanistan. They are the same warriors that the US used as a proxy army for fighting the soviets in Afghanistan in the 80s and supported by shipping them weapons etc. The same Mujahideen who were so positively being portrayed in Rambo 3. For the cause of anti-soviet propaganda, the US even created schoolbooks for afghani children that should introduce them to the concept of Jihad. Then when the soviets finally gave up on Afghanistan, those people now had lots of weapons etc. supplied by the americans etc., but since they were no longer of any interest to the US, the US no longer supported them, and tenthousands of people became jobless and useless from one day to the other. But most of them had never learnt anything but killing, so they didn't simply throw away all those weapons and started normal jobs, but instead became mercanaries for whoever would pay them, and many of them actually acquired an anti-western mentality, seeing how the west had only used them for its own interests and didn't give a damn about them once they were no longer being useful. Afghanistan is a great example of why it almost ever turns out a bad idea to use a local militia as a proxy army and supply them with arms. |
I agree with your point that the US support of Islamist fighters against is responsible for the current situation and led to the current and wasincredibly short sighted. However the Taliban are new breed of Islamists funded by Arab money. Essentially there were and still are two major groups in the region
1. The Taliban : This group mainy comprises of people of the Sunni Pashtun tribe, which is ethnic majority. They recieve support from the Pashtun people especially in conservative rural areas.This organisation recieves major support of Pakistani state and arab money.
2. Northern Alliance: This alliance are remnants of the "mujahideen" the US created with help from Pakistan and China (surprisingly). They booted out of power by the Taliban. They are not unified ethnically or ideologically, most of them are not even islamists in the proper sense. Prior to 2001 they ere in control in the north with support from Iran and India. Post US intervention they are in power again. With a new, more western face.
one must look at this conflict from an ethnic perspective and not just as a religious one. It started way before Nato landed and will continue way after they leave. Shouldve just left the country to the socialists and the country wouldve been a different place
