TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH: On spelling and nationalism
The latest Taliban op-ed on the Voice of Jihad English-language site (PDF at non-terrorist site here) points to a New York Times column on why sending more troops into Afghanistan is a bad idea.
I was thrown a bit, looking for “Nicholas Christopher’s” columns in the Times, and ended up figuring out that they were talking about this piece, “More Troops Are a Bad Bet” by Nicholas Kristof.
BAD copy editing on the part of the Taliban Info-machine – they spelled the columnist’s name incorrectly, and say the column appeared 22 Oct 09 when it was actually 21 Oct 09.
Tsk, tsk, tsk…
The op-ed mentions a bit of North American history as (I’m guessing) a (poor) way to split the allies (maybe):
Why the Americans are not ready to call their military presence in Afghanistan as invasion and occupation of the country while they themselves called the British military presence in America as invasion? Like (Kristof), the Afghans too ask why we should consider the Americans and Western forces as our protectors whereas they murder our children, women and old men and why should not call them as invaders?
The statement says any surge will be proof the Yanks/NATO’ll be in Afghanistan forever:
If they increase the number of their troops, say, if they send the requested 40,000 troops, it will prove that the Americans want to permanently stay in Afghanistan. It will mean that they have come to Afghanistan to occupy it for ever and this will strengthen the tides of resistance against the invaders.
It closes with a call to the historic (some would say xenophobic) warrior history of the fightin’ Afghans, threatening any surge troops:
This is obvious that the people who have common faith and ideology and grown up on the same soil, will not accept the presence of foreigners on the basis of their natural traditions. The history speaks for the sacrifices offered by them and the war fought by them in the cause of freedom. It will not be possible that the invaders occupy their land under any pretext and ploy and ostensibly extend them a hand of friendship. Expectedly, the invading troops must wait a strong reaction of the people–a country-wide upheaval– which will send jittery into the enemy ranks and they will not be able to find an outlet to escape. Every son of this land of the Mujahideen will revive the epics and adventures of their Mujahid forefathers. They will take up their traditional arms and swords and fall on the retreating enemy to take the revenge.
More nationalism, more anti-Americanism, more typos – the Taliban Info-machine marches on.
