Dear Readers, has the past not told us who the Taliban really are? Have they not been a force of intimidation and killings since 1998 when they ruled large parts of Afghanistan?
The Taliban and Al-Qaida have just one agenda, rule with intimidation and kill to achieve the goals. That is what they have been doing whether it is Pakistan or Afghanistan. Taliban has killed over 35,000 Pakistanis so far through cold blooded murder which includes suicide bombing, IEDs, and shooting down their victims. We just saw the gruesome video of them gunning down 16 helpless policemen with their hands tied behind their backs. This is common with Taliban on both sides of the border. In Afghanistan, is it not a fact that the United Nations human casualty report clearly records that the majority of deaths in Afghanistan (82% as of May 2011) are caused by anti-government terrorists? In fact, in the past year, UNAMA documented that the Taliban killed more than 2300 Afghan civilians. Over the same period, the number of US soldiers killed by Taliban insurgents was a mere fraction of this figure. How, then, do you term them a “genuine domestic resistance?”
http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/SG Reports/110623 SG report June 2011.pdf
This video show the brutality and real face of Taliban:
Is this the face of a “genuine domestic resistance?”. Please also watch the following video of local Afghans. They are residents of Daikondi. They are revolting against Taliban because Taliban were not allowing services. The Taliban were also not allowing teachers to teach their students. The Taliban did not want their country to develop; because, in the words of these residents, they wanted the people of Afghanistan to live like slaves. “But we refuse to live like slaves,” was their response. One resident quoted vowed to continue the fight to remove them from their area.
The real agenda of Taliban and Al-Qaida has been to enslave the populace through intimidation and murder and enforce their version of religion, where no one dares to oppose their ideology. Have we not seen this when they ruled Afghanistan and when they got a chance to administer their rule in Swat (under the agreement with the Pakistani government) at both instance they showed us their true color and created mayhem in the region? They have been tried and tested. We know that people on both sides of the border want to live a normal life without having to face fear or intimidation. It can only be achieved when these terrorists are eliminated, and that is a part of our efforts along with the Pakistani military and ANA. We are succeeding and soon peace will prevail.
CDR Bill Speaks
DET-United States Central Command
U.S. Central Command