The Lunacy of Negotiating With the Taliban

It's great to see some articles coming out, like this one from Family Security Matters, that take on the idiocy and lunacy of sitting down and negotiating with the Taliban. Even Barack Hussein Obama wouldn't think of sitting down with al Qaeda...but it's all okay and acceptable to sit down with the Taliban?! This is my favorite part from the article:

Our planners are trying to separate the Taliban from Al Qaeda, as though they are really different. I do not believe they have ever been different in philosophy or tactics.

That says it perfectly. We have been fighting the Taliban for close to ten years and it's my feeling that not only are the Taliban the same, ideologically, as al Qaeda, they are often times worse. Obama would tell you that al Qaeda is the real enemy yet has he not seen what the Taliban have done over the past decade? Without the Taliban in power in Afghanistan in the late '90's and early 2000, al Qaeda would never have had their training bases to conspire and to plot the 9/11 attacks. And since the War in Afghanistan began, 98% of our battles on the ground have been with the Taliban, not al Qaeda.

Now, I have to point out that the Taliban have been influenced by some of the more extreme jihad measures of al Qaeda but at the same time, Afghanistan under Taliban rule saw the end of educating children, it saw the complete oppression of women and of course, a welcome door policy for islamic terrorists.

Sit down with the Taliban? It's like dancing with the devil. Al Qaeda is the real enemy? Tell that to the hundreds of American troops killed and maimed by Taliban attacks. Ask the Taliban what they think of America...just do that, for me...then tell me you want to sit down and negotiate with them.

How Do We (and Afghanistan) Negotiate with the Taliban?


It is a matter of doctrine that if the conflicts in Afghanistan (and Pakistan?) are to be resolved, military force alone cannot do it. Our planners are trying to separate the Taliban from Al Qaeda, as though they are really different. I do not believe they have ever been different in philosophy or tactics.

On June 29, the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, was on fire, after being attacked by nine Taliban (or Haqqani Gang) suicide bombers. Only one was an actual suicide bomber, who detonated himself at the hotel door so that his colleagues could burst through. They headed for the roof and fired all sorts of incendiaries and grenades, hoping to kill as many hotel guests as possible. They all died, some (perhaps) at the hands of Afghan soldiers, but more probably when a NATO helicopter fired on them on the hotel roof.

It seems that the Jihadis were responding in their vicious way to both Afghan President Karzai, who claims he wants the US forces gone, and President Obama, who had just announced a withdrawal plan, along with suggestions that a political settlement be made with the Taliban. The Taliban is having none of it.

But let us see what the Taliban and their colleagues have been up to lately. I would like to know how their Public Relations Director can turn these actions into selling points for them.

On June 24, the Taliban on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border have used females to carry out suicide operations. The first was at a police station in northwestern Pakistan. A husband and wife (both wearing Burkas!) killed several policemen and a boy delivering tea.

On June 26, in southern Afghanistan, an eight-year-old girl was handed a bag of explosives and told to approach a police outpost. When she was close by, the bomb was detonated, killing only her. This is not the first time that a child was so duped. Are they running out of fanatical males ready to be suicide murderers?

Three more Taliban suicide attacks used women in June. They killed three interpreters and claimed 12 American and Afghan troops. Under a burka, you never know what you have. One female murderer in Pakistan's tribal area killed 42 Pakistani civilians standing in line to get food at a World Food Program distribution point.

The recent rise in the use of females may reflect the declining number of male volunteers. In addition, the women being covered by burkas is very convenient if one wants explosives hidden and profiling foiled. That there is an increase in men using burkas in bank robberies confirms the utility of this cultural artifact.

On June 18, three suicide bombers attack a Kabul police compound in the old city, killing two policemen and an adult male civilian, and wounding four more. One bomber detonated his explosives by the gate while the other two attackers were killed by police. The police themselves are constantly under attack.

On May 21, a suicide bomber killed six people and wounded 23 when he struck the cafeteria of a military hospital in a supposedly heavily guarded area of Kabul.

Of course, the UN tells the Taliban that they are “violating international law.” What law is that, and how is it enforced?

When these fanatics set off bombs in markets, or assassinate government officials they do not like, and then set off more bombs at the funeral for such dignitaries the next day, how can anyone “negotiate?” When a decent Pakistani governor criticized the Islamic “blasphemy law,” he was assassinated and the assassin cheered on by the public.

The Taliban is really no worse than Hamas or Hezbollah, all of whom share the same basic Islamist values:

o No non-Muslims are to be permitted to live in Muslim lands except as oppressed subjects.

o Truces and negotiations are only temporary measures to give the jihadis time to regroup. Lying in negotiations is not only permitted, it is expected.

o The war against the world must continue until all the world recognizes the rule of Islam.

How do you negotiate with that?