hypocritexposer
Well-known member
There Ain't No 'Moderate Taliban'
Obama's proposal to reach out to moderate Taliban will fail to end the Afghan insurgency as it is inflexible Taliban leaders who are orchestrating the war, not moderates, analysts said.
Obama, in an interview with the New York Times newspaper published on its website on Saturday, expressed an openness to adapting tactics in Afghanistan that had been used in Iraq to reach out to moderate elements there.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed Obama's proposal but analysts were doubtful.
"Obama's comment resemble a dream more than reality," said Waheed Mozhdah, an analyst who has written a book on the Taliban.
"Where are the so-called moderate Taliban? Who are the moderate Taliban?" asked Mozhdah, who was an official in both the Taliban and the Karzai governments.
"'Moderate Taliban' is like 'moderate killer.' Is there such a thing?," asked writer and analyst Qaseem Akhgar.
The number of foreign troops in Afghanistan has risen steadily since U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001 after they refused to hand over al Qaeda leaders responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
The level of violence has also risen, as the Taliban have stepped up their campaign to force out Western troops.
"The Taliban are very rigid in their demands. They actually don't want to talk unless there is some guarantee that Western forces will leave," he said.
"They have Mullah Omar as their leader. They have to approach Mullah Omar and as we all know he is very inflexible."
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSISL492661