NEFA Foundation: Taliban Reject Notion of Iraq-Style "Awakening" Movement in Afghanistan
By Evan Kohlmann
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) rejecting the notion that a U.S.-sponsored "Awakening" movement in South Asia -- styled after the model recently developed in Sunni areas of Iraq -- has any chance of success in Afghanistan. According to the statement, "the Americans should not look at Afghanistan in the context of Iraq. Here sectarian differences do not exist among the people in the tribal areas as it is the case in Iraq. Should that had been the case, the Americans might have taken advantage of that and tipped the people against Mujahideen. Now we are beholding that the people of the tribal areas are bonded and infatuated by the spirit of Jihad and patriotism, making it almost impossible for the Americans to take a breath of relief... Americans have to analyze the role, reputation, and history of these unscrupulous militias and then re-examine the strategy of militia formation."
A translation of the Taliban statement is available for download on the NEFA Foundation website.