Taliban "Statement appears aimed at influencing debate in US over war in Afghanistan"

[ProSense]

Taliban announces that it poses no international threat

Statement appears aimed at influencing debate in US over war in Afghanistan

Jason Burke and Chris McGreal in Washington guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 October 2009

The Taliban has said it poses no threat to the west in a move apparently intended to influence the intense debate over the future of the war in Afghanistan by suggesting weakening ties to al-Qaida.

The statement, which appeared on several websites used by the Taliban, will be scrutinised by President Barack Obama's national security advisers who are reported to be pressing him to shift the focus of the war from the Taliban in Afghanistan to al-Qaida in Pakistan. Some of the advisers, along with US vice-president Joe Biden argue that the Taliban is not a direct threat to the US while al-Qaida's deepening intrusion into Pakistan threatens to turn it into a new base for terrorist assaults on America as well as destabilising a close ally.

The Taliban statement said it is fighting to expel foreign invaders and to establish an Islamic state.

"We did not have any agenda to harm other countries including Europe nor (do) we have such agenda today," said the statement posted on a known Taliban website. "Still, if you want to turn the country of the proud and pious Afghans into a colony, then know that we have an unwavering determination and have braced for a prolonged war."

<...>

But Biden and, according to officials speaking to the US press, most of Obama's national security advisers favour shifting the focus to hunting down al-Qaida in Pakistan because it poses a greater threat to the US. They argue that the Taliban and Bin Laden's followers are not inextricably linked - a view that would be appear to be reinforced by the Taliban's statement. If that position were accepted, it may even open the way to dealings with the Taliban that would be unthinkable with al-Qaida.

However, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and the defence secretary, Robert Gates, have argued that the two groups remain closely tied and that if the Taliban were to retake power in Afghanistan it would again provide safe haven to al-Qaida. It is unclear whether the Taliban's statement represents a genuine shift in position or a clever attempt to influence an ongoing debate, or both.

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[EFerrari]

1. I can't help but find it a little comical that the group of officials cited here

are all talking about this in terms of the Taliban as if the intelligence agencies of the US, Pakistan and India aren't more directly involved. In any case, Biden and the rest are more right on this than the State Department and DoD.

[sui generis]

2. "to the west". so everyone else look out?

In other news al qaeda voluntarily disbands.

[ProSense]

3. No other comments? n/t

[karynnj]

4. It looks like Obama may be getting ready to change the direction he started on in March

It is interesting to speculate from what are essentially tea leaves here. So, here goes:

McChrystal was a counterinsurgency expert, who designed a counterinsurgency plan. There was an article posted here this summer where Biden spoke of Clinton winning the discussion, though it might well have been that Gates was for it too. It now looks, from this that Gates and Clinton favor the troop build up and counterinsurgency, while Kerry (from outside) and Biden, and many others on the national security team are for shifting the policy as said.