Taliban Maintains Grip Rooted in Fear (washingtonpost.com): "Taliban guerrillas usually come out at night, walking from the other side of the mountain, Sifullah said. They have long beards and usually dress in white, with big black or white turbans. Often they carry AK-47 assault rifles on their shoulders and 9mm pistols at their sides. Sometimes they have satellite telephones. They search the stone huts of this village for weapons, making the women wait outside.
And they come with a message: Do not help the Americans and their allies fighting in Afghanistan, and do not register to vote in the Oct. 9 presidential election, or you and your family will be killed. "
Why is this happening in a country that Bush claims to have rescued from the Taliban? Clearly, Afghanistan is still in the thrall of the Taliban and warlords in most areas. This is a terrible failure in the 'war on terror' not a great success. It is certainly not making us safer... it is driving a great resurgence in heroin production, and that will mean more US young people taking heroin and getting addicted to hard drugs. Shame on you Bush.
- posted by geoff @ #