I'm sure we are winning now, right?
"Afghan tribe standing up to the Taliban; Americans promise $1m in projects" by Dexter Filkins, New York Times | January 28, 2010
JALALABAD, Afghanistan - The leaders of one of the largest Pashtun tribes in a Taliban stronghold agreed to support the American-backed government, battle insurgents, and burn down the home of any Afghan who harbors Taliban guerrillas, leaders of the tribe said yesterday.
And then the newspapers will blame Taliban.
In exchange for their support, American commanders agreed to channel $1 million in development projects directly to the tribal leaders and bypass the local Afghan government, which is widely seen as corrupt.
We call that a bribe here.
And why this article has been totally rewritten from my printed copy is beyond me. I'll scratch it together as best I can, readers.
But the agreement, though promising, is fragile at best. Afghan loyalties are historically fluid, and in the past the government has been unable to prevent Taliban retaliation. The agreement may also be hard to replicate, because it arose from a specific local dispute with the Taliban.
While the Shinwaris are now united against the Taliban, if payments from the Americans falter or animosities flare with the Afghan government, the tribe could switch back just as quickly. Moreover, it is not clear that the elders, whatever their intentions, will be able to command the loyalties of their own members. After 30 years of incessant warfare, many of the traditional societal networks in this country have been weakened. In many places, the Taliban are stronger than the tribes....
Man, this article has a DECIDEDLY MORE NEGATIVE TOWN than my printed PoS!
I'm going to hand type what was cut and you can go and compare, readers:
The Shinwari tribe spans the volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan border area that serves as a sanctuary for the Taliban. The Afghan Shinwari faction is not commonly seen as a major supporter of the extremist group, partly because of the strength of its traditional hierarchy.
"We determined that the tribal elders were the ones that really represented the people," said Lieutenant Colonel Randall Simmons, commander of US troops in eastern Nangarhat. He said other Shinwari leaders have forces similar in size to Niyaz's informal groups of men who are ready to be called up to fight.
Despite the tribe's misgivings about the government, US officials called the decision a step forward because the tribe has at least said it is willing to work with the Afghan leadership, for example, in reintegrating tribe members who have joined the Taliban but are ready to abandon the insurgency....
Who abandons a winner, readers?
Related: Taliban Regains Power, Influence in Afghanistan
Which is why we are getting all this reconciliation talk.
The more than $1 million in funds is an acknowledgment of a major step taken by the tribe, Simmons said, adding that the United States hopes it will empower the elders to continue to take the lead in establishing security.
"If we can empower them a little bit, then in the grand scheme of things it is a bargain,' he said.
Of course, don't ever think about doing that in towns across the U.S.
But underneath the optimism, the Shinwari say they recognize they are in danger and perhaps more so now that they have taken such a public stand.
Malik Usman, another powerful tribal elder who helped push through the pact, worries Americans will leave soon, saying the United States already made that mistake once, by pulling out and leaving the area to be run by criminals after US-backed fighters helped oust the Soviets.
That's it! If had it with NYT BS!!
Oh, btw, it was "Al-CIA-Duh" that we used against the Soviets, folks!
And they were OUR CRIMINALS, as now!
WTF is with the CENSORSHIP, eh?
Just proves what S*** PAPERS the Globe and Times are!!
