TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 202200UTC Apr 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Government personnel killed in Kandahar city

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 14:56 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Apr. 20 – Azizullah Yarmal, deputy Governor of Kandahar province was killed in a surprise attack by Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate last night in Kandahar city.

Eleven dead in bombing in Kandahar

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 09:37 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Apr. 20 – At least 11 Afghan policemen were killed as well as 4 wounded in a car bomb attack that was detonated by remotely-controlled device Monday, in Kandahar’s Boldak district. The vehicle loaded with 300 kg explosives was parked outside a police station in Muslim Chowk area of this district, in which three police officers are said have been among the dead, while the police station was heavily damaged in the explosion.

5 dead in IED blast in Kandahar province

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 15:21 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Apr. 20 – A Mujahideen’s homemade bomb in Kandahar’s Panjwaii district killed at least 5 Afghan soldiers and wounded 4 more Monday morning, blowing apart their vehicle as it was crossing a bridge near the district center of Panjwaii district in Kandahar province, according to the from this province. The report adds an officer is said to have been among the dead.

4 U.S. military tanks torn apart in Helmand bombings

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 17:25 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Apr. 20 – At least three military tanks of the U.S cowardly troops were destroyed in roadside mine explosions today, Apr. 20, 2010, in Islam Bazaar area of Nowzad district, Helmand province our reported said from the area. According to local Mujahideen, the U.S. military convoy, which is to approach the center of Musa Kala district through Islam Bazaar area of Nowzad district, has been halted in the Islam Bazaar area for about a week as the route has been blocked of by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate and every time it tries to move , the convoy encounters Mujahideen’s mine explosions planted in the area.  Also Tuesday, another tank of the U.S cowards was struck by a roadside mine blast in Gerishk district of Helamd province. The report adds all four tanks were destroyed, killing almost all the American soldiers. In another report from Helmand province, about 2 Americans were killed and another 2 were hurt when their foot patrol encountered an IED bast in Nad Ali district of Helmand province. A local interpreter is reported to have been among those killed in the explosion.

Blast in Zabul kills 5 U.S soldiers

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 09:41 By Zabihullah Mujahid
ZABUL, Apr. 20 – As many as five American cowards were killed in powerful roadside bomb blast that targeted a U.S patrol tank Tuesday in Now Bahar district of Zabul province. Witness say the corpses of the five American soldiers were airlifted by the helicopter right after the incident leaving behind the struck tank which was fully destroyed in the bomb attack.

Another U.S tank destroyed in Zabul province

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 09:42 By Zabihullah Mujahid
ZABUL, Apr. 20 – More than two American invaders were killed and 3 others were horribly hurt as another tank of the U.S troops got hit by a Mujahideen’s homemade bomb and destroyed in Sewri district of Zabul district, on Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

Yet another U.S armored tank destroyed in Zabul

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 17:24 By Zabihullah Mujahid
ZABUL, Apr. 20 – Another armored tank of the U.S invaders was destroyed as a result of bombing in Zabul’s Shinki district where two other tanks of the enemy had been eliminated in the bombings in the morning hours of the Tuesday.

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Statement of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate Regarding the Recent Propaganda …. (PDF at non-terrorist site)

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 11:34 administrator
Quoting the Daily Sunday Times, some mass media outlets have reported that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate is ready to participate in a dialogue with the USA. The Sunday Times has published the report against all codes of journalism, on the basis of two unknown and alleged members of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate. Other news agencies have published it without any alternations and verification from the official and well-known spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, while believing that such farcical rumors is a fatuous propaganda stunt of the moribund enemy , declares its stand as follows:

1. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan emphasizes its unwavering stand regarding talks with the Americans and considers unconditional withdrawal of all invading forces from Afghanistan as a prerequisite for talks and negotiation with the Americans. Talks with America in conditions of presence of foreign forces would mean giving their invasion legitimacy.

2. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that the presence of Americans in Afghanistan is the main factor of instability in Afghanistan and the whole region. So any deal under the name of negotiation is a betrayal to the Islamic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan and all vital interests as long as this factor remains in its place.

3. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has an organizational set-up inside the country for the conduct and advancement of all Jihad activities against the invaders. The organizational entity by the name of Quetta Council which the enemy ascribes to the Islamic Emirate is a groundless and fabricated designation which has no existence on ground.

4. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has appointed two spokesmen for the clarification and elucidation of its official policy. These two spokesmen are entrusted with the duty to pronounce stand of the Islamic Emirate and explain the policy of the Islamic Emirate regarding all pertinent issues of the country. If some one speaks on behalf of the Islamic Emirate, it should be verified from these two spokesmen. Every posturing or political course of action which bobs up in the Western media from time to time, being contrary to the official line of the Islamic Emirate and lacking prior verification from the official spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate , is categorically a part of the enemy maligning campaign against the Islamic Emirate. It does not reflect or represent the official stand of the Islamic Emirate.

5. The leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate respectfully urges all independent news agencies and media outlets to fulfill their due obligations of journalism while publishing such report and observe all journalistic rules and norms in this regards. Similarly avoid painting such assertions of unknown persons as the official stand of the Islamic Emirate without prior clarification and verification from the official spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate.

The Leadership Council
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH: Taliban Senator Speaks

Finally getting around to sharing a few thoughts on this piece (PDF here in case link doesn’t work, and a link to a French-language version), based on an interview with Afghan senator Maulvi Arsala Rahmani, a former Minister for Religious Affairs under the old “Taliban In Charge” days.

The latest on the “how close are AQ & the Taliban”?  Rahmani suggests they’re not indivisible:

He believes that the time has come for the guerrilla movement to dissociate itself from his “friend Osama.” But are the members of Mullah Omar’s choura (council of notables), with whom he is in contact, ready for that divorce? In his opinion, it’s not impossible.

He also suggests there’s some leeway in the Taliban’s management regime to allow under-bosses to talk to the Afghan regime:

For, in spite of their military “success,” the Taliban, like all soldiers, would like to be able to go home. Moreover, and contrary to what has been suggested in Mullah Omar’s communiqués, it is sometimes the guerrilla leaders, and not the Afghan presidency, who take the initiative for these meetings, Maulvi Arsala Rahmani assures me.  Last year, Mullah Baradar led a Taliban delegation to Kabul to talk with Karzai’s older brother, Qayyum.

That last line intrigues, if only because of its conflict with the “there’s no such thing as a moderate Taliban” line Baradar took in a statement attributed to him late in October:

The terms of moderate (Taliban) and extremists are American-invented terms, which have no physical existence.

Then again, there’s also been in statements early November attribued to official Taliban spokespersons suggesting that some mediated discussions may have taken place:

“There are some people who are conveying each others’ (Taliban and US) messages. But there were no direct talks between us and America,”

A critique of the “bribe the tribes” approach comes from another Taliban “intermediary”, Pir Mohamed, reportedly a former university president under the Taliban (non) Salad Days:

Afghanistan is not Iraq. The Taliban come from very different origins. Mores come from Uzbekistan, Kandahar or Khost. And one may neither set the tribes against one another nor buy them: there are too many of them!

Here’s one vision of what the Taliban Head Shed would like to do:

The rebels would like to install themselves somewhere, then form a government-in-exile to elaborate the conditions for a negotiation with the Karzai government. Why not in Saudi Arabia where Mullah Zaeef, former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, has already tried to organize a meeting between the enemy sides? Then from Riyadh, the Taliban leadership could negotiate its own neutrality in exchange for a right to return, amnesty and participation in political life after the withdrawal of foreign troops.

Rahmani closes with how Pakistan’s Taliban bosses have to be brought into the tent as part of a solution:

“As long as Pakistan’s vital interests, such as the future of the Durand Line, are not taken into account, all discussions will fail,” explains Rahmani. According to him, the key to potential negotiations is in the hands of the Pakistani mullahs, themselves under ISI – the Pakistani secret services’ – control.  As are Mullah Fazel Rahman and Sami ul-Haq, who lead the coalition of Pakistani fundamentalist religious parties. “Before the Taliban, it is they who must be convinced to make peace, because today they control al-Qaeda and bin Laden and hold the future of the region in their hands …”

More grist for the mill.

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH: What the Shura (Allegedly) Says

More soft messaging from (alleged) non-official spokespersons for the Afghan Tailban, this time in the Pakistani media (PDF here).  This time, the statements come following an alleged high-level meeting in Helmand of the Quetta Shura, the politburo of Afghanistan’s Taliban.  Everyone, allegedly, except for the boss, Mullah Omar (not safe enough with all those US Marines and Brits about, I guess).

What do they say will be happening next?  This from “Qari Ziaur Rehman, Taliban commander for the Kunar province”:

He said the Taliban commanders decided to accelerate car bombings after arrival of fresh coalition troops in Afghanistan and also to launch street-to-street guerrilla war.  “As part of the new strategy, the Taliban movement will also pace up its efforts to win more public support and hatred against the Indian presence in Afghanistan will be exploited to achieve this objective,” Qari Ziaur Rehman said.  “The Taliban movement will establish its government in the second phase and the areas under its control will be made a hub of peace and tranquillity,”

A bit of a mix of old and new messaging here.

The “We’re the new, improved Taliban, really nice guys, honest” message stream is in green above is recent old news.

The red bits are only new in that they lay out what to expect in detail.

The blue bit about India is not exactly new (the Taliban has been happy to blow up Indians – check here, here and here for examples), but India hasn’t been mentioned really, really frequently as the bad guy.

The biggest tea leaf to read for me was from the same spokesperson on conditions for negotiations – highlight and underlining mine:

When asked about the prospects of talks between the Taliban and the US as well as the US claims about “good Taliban”, Qari Zia said no Taliban leader or warrior would hold parleys with the Americans. He said the Americans are using the term of “good Taliban” in an effort to divide the Taliban leadership but they would never succeed in their nefarious designs because all the Taliban are good.  “Our first condition for talks with the Americans is withdrawal of the occupation forces from our homeland and we will never compromise on this,” the Taliban commander said. “If the Americans start withdrawal of foreign troops, we are ready not only to hold talks with them but will also be ready to have working relationship with them on humanitarian grounds,” he said.

This is a bit subtler than the last soft message out there from someone claiming to be a Taliban commander saying, “If the Americans leave, then we will not concern ourselves with them any longer.”

In fact, if you look at the bit in red and underlined, IF you believe these folks represent some thread of thought in the Taliban, once Obama says, “OK, troops, you can start packing your bags”, a door could open.

That said, we’ve heard other Taliban statements before that weren’t exactly followed to the letter, so I’ll hold my breath on this one for now.

Also, with all the ISAF troops crawling all over Helmand, how smart would it be for that many Taliban bosses to gather in one spot, even for a little bit?  I don’t like the Taliban and what they stand for, but I don’t think they’re dumb.

So, Where’s the Taliban’s Uber-Boss?

Bill Roggio at Threat Matrix and Mark at The Torch are sharing the latest about some in the U.S. system whispering to reporters that they’re eyeing Quetta, Pakistan (or at least some spots therein) as a possible target to nail Taliban Big Boss Mullah Omar and his cronies.

Pakistan’s response (via the interior minister)?  “Guys, guys, guys, you’ve got it all wrong.  He’s in KANDAHAR, not Quetta – nothing to see here, move along everyone.”