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Stop the War - No To War - War is not a solution! |
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The Taliban: Creatures Of Western Imperialism
WHEN THE Taliban entered the capital, Kabul, in 1996 they dragged the former President Najibullah from the United Nations (UN) compound, tortured him to death and hung him from a lamp-post. It set the scene for Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The Taliban has banned all opposition groups, political parties and trade unions. They've virtually enslaved women, stopping education for girls, preventing women working (many widows are consequently forced to beg) and have prohibited music, sports and games. (Despite being on a constant war footing, the regime has even banned boxing!) Transgressors of Taliban Sharia law are ruthlessly dealt with. Adultery is punishable by stoning to death, homosexuals are buried alive. A UN funded football stadium in Kabul is now used to stage public executions. Clerical dictatorshipThis clerical dictatorship is led by the reclusive Mullah Mohammed Omar who is suspected of being under the thumb of Osama bin Laden. The Taliban is the Frankenstein monster of the US's Cold War strategy. It was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) working through Pakistan's counterpart spy network - the Interservices Intelligence Directorate (ISI) - who financed, armed and trained Islamist guerrillas to fight the Soviet army. The Taliban control 95% of the country through a patchwork of alliances with local warlords but most of their support is drawn from ethnic Pashtuns. However, as much as 20%-25% of the Taliban's frontline fighters are drawn from Arab volunteers and mercenaries throughout the Middle East. Opposition AllianceTHE NORTHERN Alliance which is backed by the US, Russia and Iran controls only 5% of Afghanistan. Bolstered by US support it has launched a new military offensive to recapture Mazar-I-Sharif from the Taliban. The main military forces are Jamiat-I-Islami led by General Mohammed Fahim Khan who succeeded the recently assassinated General Massoud. This group is based on ethnic Tajiks who make up 25% of the population. It is nominally headed by the ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbini who still holds the country's UN seat and has embassies in 33 countries. The second main grouping, Junbish-I-Milli-yi Islami, is led by a former opponent of general Massoud the ethnic Uzbek, General Abdul Rashid Dostam. After the Soviet withdrawal, Dostam, a former army commander under Najibullah, switched allegiance spelling the downfall of Najibullah's regime. The third main force in the Alliance is the ethnic Hazari Shia groupings of Hizb-I-Wahdat led by Karim Khalili and Mohaqiq. US military interventionThe Alliance is clearly hoping that US military intervention will severely weaken if not topple the Taliban enabling them to take power. However, if such an outcome occurred it would more than likely lead to more internecine and inter-ethnic fighting. To mollify such criticism Massoud's brother has said the Alliance would welcome an interim UN administration in Kabul. But judging by the UN's lamentable peacekeeping record it too is unlikely to end the suffering of Afghans. From The Socialist, 28 September 2001 |
War is not a solution Stop Bush and Blair's military plansDon't let workers pay the price
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