what does it take to beat the taliban?

[Norse]

Better question: What will it take to wipe out the extremist right wing conservatives in modern North America?

Taliban?

LMAO

[Guiscard]

We need to regulate poppy agriculture to stop the illegal supply of and profits from heroine production. If we channel the farmer's crops into legal alternatives (prescription drugs to help addicts) then we take the business out of the hands of those who can use it to help a resurgent Taliban. We need to drop the ridiculous poppy eradication policy introduced by the US.

I think that we also need to both accept and plan for operations in Afghanistan lasting long into the future. The Taliban aren't gonna disappear overnight. They never were, and we were naive if we thought they would. Long term strategies aimed at giving the people genuine independence and security (rather than becoming a US protectorate) would leech ideological power away from the fundementalists.

[Norse]

one of the largest reasons we are occupying afghanistan, we are told, is because of the heroine it output's.

Bugger me, why aren't we dropping bombs on columbia and morocco?

[Titanic]

one of the largest reasons we are occupying afghanistan, we are told, is because of the heroine it output's.

Bugger me, why aren't we dropping bombs on columbia and morocco?

Because we went into Afghanistan after 9/11. The poppys are just something that is there which we need to sort out.

[Malkithe]

Last I checked, the Taliban is out of power, and the threats are comming from splintered groups, not the central government.

[Syzygy]

God.

Funny, I haven't heard of a single Taliban army annihilated by lightning, or assorted other tools of divine wrath. It's almost as though, maybe, just maybe, god dosen't choose sides! What makes you think that god favors America? What makes you think he hates the Taliban? What makes you think he is prepared to completly obliterate a human being who has the potential to be saved?

What Makes You Think He Wants To Get Involved?

Idiot...

Actually, Caleb was saying that the only way to get rid of the Taliban would be Gods divine wrath. He didn't, however, mention at any point that God WOULD get involved in any way shape or form, just that He is the only way to stop it. Just thought I'd point that out to you...

It's one word. How can you be so sure that is what he meant?

They must be multis.

[Guiscard]

Last I checked, the Taliban is out of power, and the threats are comming from splintered groups, not the central government.

Last you checked wrongly then...

The Taliban ARE the insurgents. They are the group of fundamental Islamists who were in power, were subsequently ousted in 2001 and who have remained in the country, boosted by an influx of resistance fighters from abroad (mainly the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan, but also Saudi and other Arabaian countries), to provide a powerful insurgency which has enjoyed a resurgence since 2006.

[Norse]

Maybe god doesn't like muslims?

I mean, according to George Bush, god (notice the un-capitalisation) spoke to him during his sleep, telling him that this was the correct thing to do.

Now either god doesn't like muslims, or Mrs Bush has a sick sense of humour.

[cleveridea]

The only way to stop taliban is to cut off any and all income they have.

Bingo. Kill all the junkies.

[cena-rules]

A-BOMB

BLOW UP THE MIDDLE EAST

[Norse]

A-BOMB

BLOW UP THE MIDDLE EAST

[got tonkaed]

Last I checked, the Taliban is out of power, and the threats are comming from splintered groups, not the central government.

Last you checked wrongly then...

The Taliban ARE the insurgents. They are the group of fundamental Islamists who were in power, were subsequently ousted in 2001 and who have remained in the country, boosted by an influx of resistance fighters from abroad (mainly the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan, but also Saudi and other Arabaian countries), to provide a powerful insurgency which has enjoyed a resurgence since 2006.

Really at this point you really could argue that the Taliban has control in the majority of the country....

There were some pretty big errors early on in the War in Afghanistan which have made life pretty tough. By searching for terrorists (which i wont argue against) they failed to realize they would be battling an insurgency, which is much more developed and has much more support than the terrorist network they assumed they would be fighting. By using inappropriate labels they set the framework for looking at things all wrong.

Also there was some history that was overlooked which was fairly criminal in terms of trying to put together a winning battle plan. Afghanistan has been for pretty much quite some time, a country that is very tribal and territorial in nature. There is very little exerted power from urban centers, and having the US focus primarily in a capital city, they never really built up an appropriate power base to deal with the tribes and the support the insurgents would gain quickly. Assuming the knock out punch in the capital was a sign of things to come everywhere has proved to be a bit of a critical mistake.

The big problem is that all of this information was essentially available, and the clandestine service had it and policy makers didnt use it. The former soviet union dealt for a long time trying to defeat the opposition in Afghanistan and failed for simliar reasons that cause the US to struggle now.

This really only dictates where we were in err in the early days.

[Malkithe]

Last I checked, the Taliban is out of power, and the threats are comming from splintered groups, not the central government.

Last you checked wrongly then...

The Taliban ARE the insurgents. They are the group of fundamental Islamists who were in power, were subsequently ousted in 2001 and who have remained in the country, boosted by an influx of resistance fighters from abroad (mainly the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan, but also Saudi and other Arabaian countries), to provide a powerful insurgency which has enjoyed a resurgence since 2006.

Bah, semantics... does an individual of a former group the former group make?

[Guiscard]

Last I checked, the Taliban is out of power, and the threats are comming from splintered groups, not the central government.

Last you checked wrongly then...

The Taliban ARE the insurgents. They are the group of fundamental Islamists who were in power, were subsequently ousted in 2001 and who have remained in the country, boosted by an influx of resistance fighters from abroad (mainly the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan, but also Saudi and other Arabaian countries), to provide a powerful insurgency which has enjoyed a resurgence since 2006.

Bah, semantics... does an individual of a former group the former group make?

Err... yes...

The insurgents call themselves the Taliban, we call them Taliban, they fight with the aim of re-instating the old Taliban regime and they support the fundamental Islamic ideals the Taliban hold as their core beliefs. Sounds very much like the Taliban, whether or not they are in power, to me!

[unriggable]

Clearly the Christians think that their god has a bigger dick than the Muslim god.

[Ronaldinho]

napalm the whole of asia, i recon thats about 70%, the other 30% will die of old age, simple.

[comic boy]

napalm the whole of asia, i recon thats about 70%, the other 30% will die of old age, simple.

Thats been tried before

[2dimes]

Has someone asked them politely to cut it out?

[Backglass]

Has someone asked them politely to cut it out?

No. Diplomacy is something King George never learned from his "pappy", as is now painfully evident.

[salvadevinemasse]

Bin ladens head on a stick? primative i know but you know you love me hecter! lol

[flashleg8]

If only Rambo went back to correct the wrongs he did in Rambo 3...

[AlgyTaylor]

Has someone asked them politely to cut it out?

Perhaps offer them a nice cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge. Yes, I think that could work ...

[comic boy]

Has someone asked them politely to cut it out?

No. Diplomacy is something King George never learned from his "pappy", as is now painfully evident.

Well George was mad,not a good thing in a leader,but at least we didnt vote him in