Taliban issues code of conduct

[waraich66]

News CENTRAL/S. ASIA

Taliban issues code of conduct



The Taliban code of conduct urges fighters to limit suicide attacks and avoid civilian deaths [File: EPA]


The Taliban in Afghanistan has issued a book laying down a code of conduct for its fighters.

Al Jazeera has obtained a copy of the book, which further indicates that Mullah Omar, the movement's leader, wants to centralise its operations.

The book, with 13 chapters and 67 articles, lays out what one of the most secretive organisations in the world today, can and cannot do.

It talks of limiting suicide attacks, avoiding civilian casualties and winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the local civilian population.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the capital, Kabul, said every fighter is being issued the pocket book entitled "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Rules for Mujahideen".

The book sheds considerable light on the structure, organisation and aims of the group, he said.



Mullah Omar is quoted as saying that creating a new mujahideen group or battalion is forbidden.

"If unofficial groups or irregular battalions refuse to join the formal structure, they should be disbanded," Omar says.

Individual Taliban commanders have so far had a fair degree of autonomy, often deciding what operations to conduct and how to run the territory that they control.

Our correspondent said the regulations seem to be an attempt by Mullah Omar to bring all of the Taliban under his control.

"We have in the past had a lot of different groups in Afghanistan operating under the umbrella of the Taliban," Bays said.

"But it says in these regulations that if you find an irregular battalion that is not obeying orders then what you have to do is find that battalion and then disarm them."

Suicide bombing rules

Michael Griffin, an Afghanistan expert and author of the book Reaping the Whirlwind: Al Qaeda and the Holy War, told Al Jazeera: "The Taliban ... is flirting very closely with criminality on a very, very, large scale.



In depth

Key quotes from new Taliban book
Profile: Mullah Mohamed Omar
Timeline: Taliban in Afghanistan

"If you think of the New York Times reporter who was kidnapped in November last year and released for $8m, this was a criminal act and has nothing to do with the Taliban as a political and military force.

"I think [Mullah Omar is] trying to bring all the disparate elements in the Taliban together under one umbrella to somehow isolate and and separate the elements which are simply criminal.

"But this is a difficult cause because there are a lot of people in the Taliban because it pays them."

While the Taliban have repeatedly used suicide bombings across Afghanistan, the book now says that they should be used only on high and important targets."

'Strong guarantees'

"A brave son of Islam should not be used for lower and useless targets. The utmost effort should be made to avoid civilian casualties," the book says.

There are now clear guidelines on how the Taliban will treat its prisoners as well.

"Whenever any official, soldier, contractor or worker of the slave government is captured, these prisoners cannot be attacked or harmed," it says.

"The decision on whether to seek a prisoner exchange or to release the prisoner with strong guarantees will be made by the provincial leader.

"Releasing prisoners in exchange for money is strictly prohibited."

The book further states that if a "military infidel" is captured, the decision on whether to kill, release or exchange the hostage is only to be made by the Imam, a reference to Mullah Omar, or deputy Imam.

'Winning hearts'

The book makes it clear that it is the duty of every fighter to win over the local population.



The book appears to be an attempt to bring all Taliban fighters under Mullah Omar's control
"The mujahideen have to behave well and show proper treatment to the nation, in order to bring the hearts of civilian Muslims closer to them.

"The mujahideen must avoid discrimination based on tribal roots, language or geographic background."

Our correspondent said the reference to winning over the hearts of the Afghan people is very similar to language used by Nato-led military forces in the country.

"Recently the Nato commander here issued a new tactical directive saying that civilians should not be bombed - almost the same words in these regulations to Taliban fighters," Bays said.

"Both sides [are] trying to win over the civilian population in their area."

The release of the rule book comes less than a month before Afghans head to the polls for a presidential election, which the Taliban has deemed an illegitimate system imposed by foreigners.

The timing may be just a coincidence, however, as rival presidential candidates detail their manifestos and the Taliban makes an effort to win over the Afghan public.

 

[S-2]

Fascinating. Very much so.

The net winner in all of this is the afghan people. Needless to say, as the taliban legitimize their organization and impose standards of conduct, their role to that of the existing gov't begins to merge in "function", if still not "form".

Further, don't be surprised if those dropping tips to America/ISAF/ANA regarding "criminals" aren't the taliban themselves. Finally, while their code of conduct WRT prisoners seems to differentiate between afghans versus "military infidel", it's at least reassuring that the decision to barter, release, or kill these "infidels" will be raised to the taliban's highest decision-making levels.

Last, it seems that, for once, ISAF/America may be out in front on the info ops war. After eight years of approaching matters in the same fashion, it appears that the taliban realize that they, too, suffer some public image issues that have exacerbated their cause instead of facilitating it.

Suicide attacks are a morally painful decision, even if the target is an entirely legitimate military one with no chance of civilian collateral injuries/deaths. It's noteworthy that the taliban have finally, in their words here, seen fit to make some distinction to their employment.

Hopefully, they'll realize that the same holds true for IEDs, mortar, and rocket attacks that too often hit anything and everybody but their "intended" military targets.

Just some preliminary thoughts as I find this a very powerful piece of information and look forward to reading more on this topic.

 

[pakomar]

Both US army and Taliban kills afghan civilians what the difference. its good be see their rule book. Some rules are shown on news most of the rules are mention in Quran and some are made by Taliban’s.

 

[waraich66]

Fascinating. Very much so.

The net winner in all of this is the afghan people. Needless to say, as the taliban legitimize their organization and impose standards of conduct, their role to that of the existing gov't begins to merge in "function", if still not "form".

Further, don't be surprised if those dropping tips to America/ISAF/ANA regarding "criminals" aren't the taliban themselves. Finally, while their code of conduct WRT prisoners seems to differentiate between afghans versus "military infidel", it's at least reassuring that the decision to barter, release, or kill these "infidels" will be raised to the taliban's highest decision-making levels.

Last, it seems that, for once, ISAF/America may be out in front on the info ops war. After eight years of approaching matters in the same fashion, it appears that the taliban realize that they, too, suffer some public image issues that have exacerbated their cause instead of facilitating it.

Suicide attacks are a morally painful decision, even if the target is an entirely legitimate military one with no chance of civilian collateral injuries/deaths. It's noteworthy that the taliban have finally, in their words here, seen fit to make some distinction to their employment.

Hopefully, they'll realize that the same holds true for IEDs, mortar, and rocket attacks that too often hit anything and everybody but their "intended" military targets.

Just some preliminary thoughts as I find this a very powerful piece of information and look forward to reading more on this topic.

Suicide is coward action not allowed in islam , Talaban are now realizing their mistakes and trying to learn by hit and trail method, which is height of stupidity.

 

[Fracker]

Good Job Taliban, I think now they are moving towards alliance with Kabul, and it is hike time to release such code of conduct.

But wont do good for Pakistan, since TTP call Mullah Omer as Supreme commander yet don't follow what he say.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Good Job Taliban, I think now they are moving towards alliance with Kabul, and it is hike time to release such code of conduct.

But wont do good for Pakistan, since TTP call Mullah Omer as Supreme commander yet don't follow what he say.

They used to call Mullah Omar Supreme Commander, but when Mullah Omar told Baitullah Mehsud Group to stop attacking PA and instead use ur energy to attack american troops in afghanistan, baitullah ignored it and Mullah Omar issued a statement that baitullah is not among them, then baitullah came up with TTP, there was no existence of TTP some years back, the militants in North Waziristan, basically the wazir militants don't call themselves or think as a part of TTP, rather just Taliban, becoz their focus is on the afghanistan side, and they are aligned with afghan taliban. All the american drone attacks happen in the wazir tribal people, there has been no attack the baitullah mehsud area of operations becoz he is no threat to USA, the recent so called drone attacks on his fighters don't seem to be american rather mostly air strikes by PAF.

 

[RIZVI]

They used to call Mullah Omar Supreme Commander, but when Mullah Omar told Baitullah Mehsud Group to stop attacking PA and instead use ur energy to attack american troops in afghanistan, baitullah ignored it and Mullah Omar issued a statement that baitullah is not among them, then baitullah came up with TTP, there was no existence of TTP some years back, the militants in North Waziristan, basically the wazir militants don't call themselves or think as a part of TTP, rather just Taliban, becoz their focus is on the afghanistan side, and they are aligned with afghan taliban. All the american drone attacks happen in the wazir tribal people, there has been no attack the baitullah mehsud area of operations becoz he is no threat to USA, the recent so called drone attacks on his fighters don't seem to be american rather mostly air strikes by PAF.

I agree with u ...............{}

 

[waraich66]

They used to call Mullah Omar Supreme Commander, but when Mullah Omar told Baitullah Mehsud Group to stop attacking PA and instead use ur energy to attack american troops in afghanistan, baitullah ignored it and Mullah Omar issued a statement that baitullah is not among them, then baitullah came up with TTP, there was no existence of TTP some years back, the militants in North Waziristan, basically the wazir militants don't call themselves or think as a part of TTP, rather just Taliban, becoz their focus is on the afghanistan side, and they are aligned with afghan taliban. All the american drone attacks happen in the wazir tribal people, there has been no attack the baitullah mehsud area of operations becoz he is no threat to USA, the recent so called drone attacks on his fighters don't seem to be american rather mostly air strikes by PAF.

Yep,TTP is now independent but very stronge , may have INDIAN/ISRAELI weapons and intelligence support.I think similar planning as India did in Bangladesh , you know 7th US fleet never reached for PA help.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Yep,TTP is now independent but very stronge , may have INDIAN/ISRAELI weapons and intelligence support.I think similar planning as India did in Bangladesh , you know 7th US fleet never reached for PA help.

Yes, lot of foreign help is available to them, weapons & money, even in swat army had in one instance recovered 250,000+ USD$$ from a captured taliban vehicle. But many of the tribes supporting baitullah is for fear of retaliation, due to this fear they are supporting them, if u look at their way of operations, they killed nearly all the main tribal chiefs who could have put a resistance to them, so once the chiefs are killed, fear comes into the tribes and they start co-operating and giving support to these militants. But a situation like Bangadesh can't occur as there is no international border with the mehsud tribal area, check out the post#42 in Operation Rah e Nijat thread. They are sandwiched, so an effective army operation can eliminate their power to great extent plus the local tribes then can stand upto them once army moves in, just like the swat, bajaur or dir lashkars. As these lashkars dont have sophisticated weapons like the taliban have, so they need army's support.

 

[Fracker]

check out the post#42 in Operation Rah e Nijat thread

Wrong, since there are the areas close to gomal dam and wana where support for Mullah nazeer present, who also announced support for BM, and also some other tribes.. similarly Masoud tribes has some support from Afghanistan (as matter of fact there are masoud tribes in afghanistan). To eliminate BM, PA need the real plan. It is not Swat like operation where PA has already operation going on in bajour and dir and also had some neutral tribes who didn't pick the weapons against PA. and some tibes who actually start lashkar against TTP (because of the fear of PA).

Thanks to our friend USA's drone attacks, now we have many warlords (& some of orignal Talibs commanders in pakistan, thats why PA is using Mullah omer to reduce support for BM) against PA. American weapons were found in Swat as well available in the area from adham khel to north waziristani boarder. So Waziristani operation might wont be easy as the swat operation. Thats why Waziristani operation is must slower then Swat's Operation. At the moment PA is looking for short goals like removing BM, without actual fight. IN swat operation, Jarga remain neutral, but here because of drone attacks the local people wont remain neutral. .Let see..

 

[TaimiKhan]

Wrong, since there are the areas close to gomal dam and wana where support for Mullah nazeer present, who also announced support for BM, and also some other tribes.. similarly Masoud tribes has some support from Afghanistan (as matter of fact there are masoud tribes in afghanistan). To eliminate BM, PA need the real plan. It is not Swat like operation where PA has already operation going on in bajour and dir and also had some neutral tribes who didn't pick the weapons against PA. and some tibes who actually start lashkar against TTP (because of the fear of PA).

Thanks to our friend USA's drone attacks, now we have many warlords (& some of orignal Talibs commanders in pakistan, thats why PA is using Mullah omer to reduce support for BM) against PA. American weapons were found in Swat as well available in the area from adham khel to north waziristani boarder. So Waziristani operation might wont be easy as the swat operation. Thats why Waziristani operation is must slower then Swat's Operation. At the moment PA is looking for short goals like removing BM, without actual fight. IN swat operation, Jarga remain neutral, but here because of drone attacks the local people wont remain neutral. .Let see..

Sir, that is what i am trying to tell, that Mullah Nazeer & Gul Bahadur are not Mehsud, they are wazir. And their alliance to BM is not due to a common cause, they were rivals few months back, but the above two mentioned commanders think that once BM is finished, PA will come after them, so their alliance is out of necessity not ideological, PA is trying to break that alliance by trying to give an impression that this operation would be against BM as he is anti-pakistani. Not against those who are fighting the afghan war. It was one of the above commanders who ousted the uzbeks, mehsuds & foreigners from their area.

"The Mahsud tribe lives in the very centre of Waziristan, being hemmed by in on three sides by the Darwesh Khel Waziris, and being shut off by the Bhittanis on the east from the Derajat and Bannu districts. Two Pashtun tribes, Ahmadzai Wazir and Mahsud, inhabit and dominate South Waziristan. "

"On many occasions the Afghan throne was saved with the help of the Mahsud, Burki/Baraki and Wazirs from Wazirstan. Of those who fought during this time, most came back to their homeland, but those who stayed were given high ranks of office, such as Faiz Muhammad Mahsud, who was granted a title the equivalent of prime minister during the 1970s. Today the majority of Mahsuds are still in the province of Logar with the title of Waziri, but by caste, they are Mahsuds."

If u look at the Map in the post i provided, i am just trying to tell that where the mehsud tribe mostly lives, the majority of them. They are sandwiched between different tribes and if PA is able to isolate them from the 2 wazir commanders, then PA can go from different sides against the BM.

For the time being there is a complete blockade of the mehsud tribal area, road has been closed and an alternate route to the wazir tribal people has been provided.

The strategy by the PA is to keep up the air strikes & artillery bombardment to inflict as many casualties & reduce the moral of the militants plus a blockade to keep the pressure up till PA gets over with the Swat situation. As force buildup is nearly complete in the operational area.

 

[shravan]

Translated excerpts from the Taliban code of conduct - CNN.com

Editor's note: The Taliban has released a new "code of conduct" for fighters in the field, listing what is acceptable behavior and what is not. The following are CNN translations of excerpts from the code.

Chapter 1: Security
Any Muslim can invite anyone working for the slave government in Kabul to quit their job and remove themselves from the corrupt administration.

Chapter 2: Prisoners
It is strictly prohibited to exchange prisoners for money. Killing can only be decided by the Imam or his deputy. Noone else has the right to do so.

If a military infidel is captured, any decision to kill, conditionally release or exchange such a prisoner can only be made by the Imam or his deputy.

Chapter 7: On the Mujahideen
Suicide attacks should be at high value and important targets because a brave son of Islam should not be used for low value and useless targets. In suicide attacks the killing of innocent people and damage to their property should be minimized. 8)

Chapter 10: Regional Issues
All Mujahideen must do their best to avoid civilian deaths and injuries and damage to civilian property.

Chapter 11: Regarding prohibited things
Weapons used to be taken from people by force, this practice is no longer permitted. But people may hand over their weapons voluntarily.

No Mujahid is allowed to smoke. A male who has not yet grown a beard may not stay in a common sleeping area with other men.

It is forbidden to disfigure people. For example the cutting off of ears, nose and lips are severely prohibited. Mujahideen should refrain from such activities.

Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate should not collect donations from people forcibly. People should be free to choose who they want to give to.

Mujahideen should not search people's homes. If there is a need to do this, they should get permission from authority and the search should be done in the presence of the imam of the local mosque and two elders.

Kidnapping for ransom is strictly prohibited.

Chapter 12
Mujahideen must be well behaved, and treat the people properly, in order to get closer to the hearts of civilian Muslims.

 

[AirforcePilot]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A new Taliban military "code of conduct" calls for restrictions on suicide attacks aimed at avoiding the killing of civilians, but U.S. and Afghan military officials dismissed the document as propaganda, calling it hypocritical.

The booklet, obtained by CNN in northwestern Pakistan, has emerged during a crucial moment in the fight between troops and militants in Afghanistan, where battles are raging in the country's Helmand province and troops work to establish stability for the upcoming presidential elections.

"Suicide attacks should be at high value and important targets because a brave son of Islam should not be used for low value and useless targets," the code of conduct said. "In suicide attacks the killing of innocent people and damage to their property should be minimized."

It also says "all mujahideen must do their best to avoid civilian deaths and injuries and damage to civilian property." And it says that mujahideen "should refrain" from disfiguring of people, such as the severing of ears, nose and lips.

Mujahideen must be well behaved, and treat the people properly, in order to get closer to the hearts of civilian Muslims," the code said.

Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, U.S. military spokeswoman in Kabul, saidit was notable that the document is intended to be "prescriptive on how the bad guys are supposed to conduct themselves."
"Their day to day actions contradict everything in it," Sidenstricker said. "The long and the short of it is, they don't operate in accordance to their code of conduct."

She said more than 60 percent of civilians killed have been killed by the Taliban, and since January, more than 450 innocent Afghans have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been injured. Watch why Taliban are proving hard to uproot

Also, half the casualties resulting from roadside bombs were civilians.

"The booklet also says suicide attacks should always be done against high-ranking officials. In reality, they have killed more then 200 Afghan civilians," she said.

Afghanistan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zaher Azimi said the code is " propaganda" and that the Taliban "will never implement that." He cites a recent beheading of a retired Afghan soldier as a clear example of the group's real behavior.

"It was against all the laws of war," Azimi said.

As far as the upcoming election, Azimi said, the Taliban has tried its best in the past "to disrupt the normal process of peace and security, and they will try their best to disrupt the peace and security process in the future."

The code of conduct is dated as coming into effect on May 9, 2009. It is similar to a previous document that emerged in 2006 and covers many topics.

For example, it says "kidnapping for ransom is strictly prohibited."

As for prisoners, the code says "it is strictly prohibited to exchange prisoners for money. Killing can only be decided by the Imam or his deputy. No one else has the right to do so." It says an imam or his deputy are on the only ones to make decisions on whether to kill, release of exchange a captured "military infidel."

Further, it says the practice of taking weapons from people by force "is no longer permitted."

"But people may hand over their weapons voluntarily," it said.

And it says that the "mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate should not collect donations forcibly" and that "people should be free to choose who they want to give to."

It said mujahideen shouldn't search peoples' homes.

"If there is a need to do this, they should get permission from authority and the search should be done in the presence of the imam of the local mosque and two elders."

The code said mujahids aren't permitted to smoke and that "a male who has not yet grown a beard may not stay in a common sleeping area with other men."

CNN's National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said the militants "clearly" are aware of the need to win "hearts and minds" and are trying to rectify the "mistakes" of al Qaeda in Iraq.

"They have their own counter-insurgency strategy in winning hearts and minds," Bergen said. "This is a corrective, absolutely."

He said "there's a window for both sides to make some progress" and the Taliban want to exploit the moment.

"The Taliban believe they are either winning or not losing. If you are an insurgent not losing is important," he said.

 

[Fracker]

if PA is able to isolate them from the 2 wazir commanders, then PA can go from different sides against the BM.

I said same thing i guess.. just you explained better then me. And the above highlighted line is the "if" which don't give PA a free hand or Masud's are becoming sandwich. And i know this is not going to happen until drone attack stops. and PA take Molvi nazeer in full confidence.