[Dawn] The Afghan Taliban pose no threat to the west but will continue their fight against occupying foreign forces, they said on Wednesday, the eighth anniversary of the US-led invasion that removed them from power.| It was never the Taliban who caused problems beyond their borders, it was all their little friends that they gave houseroom. Which is why they were driven out of that house, and are being prevented from retaking possession now. Clearly the leadership was not properly fed as children. |
'We had and have no plan of harming countries of the world, including those in Europe...our goal is the independence of the country and the building of an Islamic state,' the Taliban said in a statement on the group's website www.shahamat.org.
'Still, if you (Nato and US troops) want to colonise the country of proud and pious Afghans under the baseless pretext of a war on terror, then you should know that our patience will only increase and that we are ready for a long war.'
| Yes, yes, but your international volunteer pool is shrinking, and with it no doubt financial donations. Y'all are old news -- the land of the Uighurs is the up-and-coming thing. |
In a review of the war in Afghanistan submitted to the Pentagon last month, US General Stanley McChrystal, in charge of all foreign forces, said defeating the insurgents would likely result in failure unless more troops were sent.
There are currently more than 100,000 foreign troops in the country, roughly two-thirds of who are Americans.
The Taliban statement comes at a time when western officials warn that deserting Afghanistan could mean a return to power for the Taliban and the country could once again become a safe haven for al-Qaeda militants, who could use it as a base to plan future attacks on western countries.