 |
"Taliban have got the expertise, they have got the resources, they have got the momentum," Barrett said. (Google) |
CAIRO — The balance of power between militant groups in war-ravaged Afghanistan is shifting in the interest of emboldened Taliban at the expense of weakened Al-Qaeda, which experts expect to influence America's new strategy.
"The Taliban have got the expertise, they have got the resources, they have got the momentum," Richard Barrett, coordinator of the UN Taliban and al-Qaeda Monitoring Team, told the Washington Post Wednesday, November 11.
There are perhaps fewer than 100 Al-Qaeda members left Afghanistan, according to a senior US military intelligence official in Kabul.
This is compared with tens of thousands of Taliban militants, mostly ethnic Pashtuns.
Taliban used to rely on the Arab-led Al-Qaeda for money, weapons and combat training.
But experts say this is the case no more with emboldened Taliban carrying out most of the deadly attacks.
Taliban attacks have grown in numbers of ferocity in recent months.
More than 418 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, compared to only 294 in 2008.
Taliban, ousted by the US shortly after the 9/11 attacks, have been engaged in a protracted guerrilla warfare against the 100,000 US-led troops since 2001.
A roadside bomb west of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan injured five Swedish troops and killed their interpreter.
Separately, two civilians were killed and several foreign soldiers wounded when a motorcycle-riding suicide bomber targeted NATO troops in the southern province of Zabul.
|
| "Al-Qaeda's path is now different from the Taliban's path, and they are growing more separated," Mujda said. (Google) |
Different Paths
Many believe the new power balance is accompanied by a widening gap between Taliban and Al-Qaeda, which have long enjoyed a special relationship.
"Al-Qaeda's path is now different from the Taliban's path, and they are growing more separated," Wahid Mujda, an Afghan political analyst who was a Foreign Ministry official under the Taliban government, told the Post.
He cited recently-announced Taliban stances of several issues, describing them as a "revolution," against Al-Qaeda ideology.
Last spring, Taliban leadership published a rule book for its fighters, asking them to protect the population and avoid civilian casualties.
The group insisted that its war was only with foreign troops inside Afghanistan and that it has no enemies outside.
"We assure all countries that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as a responsible force, will not extend its hand to cause jeopardy to others," Supreme leader Mullah Omar said in a written statement in September.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda allied after the Afghan group controlled the country in 1996.
The US invaded Afghanistan after Taliban refused to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who claimed the 9/11 attacks.
But observers believe Mullah Omar does not want to repeat recent history.
"If you debrief senior Taliban guys, they'll tell you that al-Qaeda stole the victory, because they were going to win prior to the World Trade Center attacks," said the US military intelligence official.
"The more they connect themselves to al-Qaeda, the less the population's going to welcome them back."
|
