A new United Nations map shows the rise of violence in Afghanistan’s south. It is there where the Taliban have been making a comeback and control swaths of territory. The terrorist entity even controls Musa Qala, an area given to them by the British. The group is currently using their southern lands to launch deadly raids against not only the government and Coalition forces but also humanitarian aid workers. The rise of violence has made much of the south a “No-Go” area.
The south of Afghanistan is ethnically majority with Pashtun with some Baluchi. The former is the main ethnic group which the Taliban comes from with the latter being stereotyped as the independent, sometimes supporters of the Taliban. The support of these people will make the destruction of the Taliban difficult. The Taliban and allies are able to keep support another front in the east because of lax border control with Pakistan.
While much of the world is focusing on Iraq it is very important to remember Afghanistan where the international community has only a third of what the Russians in their failed war.
5 comments:
The first map in particular is excellent -- it shows how geography can quickly reveal what pages and pages of analysis can only hint at. Thank you.
Interesting that you mention musa qala, there is an afghan blog that just recently brought it up:
http://www.afghanlord.org/2007/11/problem-of-musa-qala-afghanistans.html
Ironically we are supposedly working with Baluchis in Iran to destabilize the Iranian government. Maybe the Iranian Baluchis should tell the Afghan Baluchis to chill out. That is my contribution to Middle Eastern diplomacy for the day...
Forgetting Afghanistan is another way in which the Iraq war has been a disaster.
Hmmm, at a Pathan I think the reason our area is so much more violent then the rest of Afghanistan is that during the 80s the CIA and ISI armed every thug and jerk with missles, grenades and rocker launchers and were told to fight the Soviets. Well those thugs are still violent and crazy.
I think America should not try to sow ethnic hatred.
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