Taliban truce breaks down
Yesterday we told you about a truce between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the remote northwestern province of Badghis. This was apparently news to the Taliban, too.
Within hours, however, clashes broke out in the region, and a Taliban spokesman told media that no deal ever happened. Suspected insurgents ambushed police, and fighting left two militants dead and two police wounded, Reuters reported, citing the Interior Ministry.
I think the fundamental problem here is one of incentives: Why would the Taliban sign a truce with the government? What does it gain? Some observers say a truce makes sense for the Taliban in an isolated place like Badghis. But the province's remoteness -- and its correspondingly lower number of coalition troops -- makes it an easier place for the Taliban to control.
The McClatchy article I linked to above includes an interview with a retired British general who offers this suggestion:
If the Taliban allow the population to take part in the elections, and the elections result in little positive change, he continues, the Taliban could benefit.
This kind of thinking seems like a little too much 11-dimensional chess. The Taliban remains deeply unpopular with the Afghan people, who haven't forgotten its disastrous rule; they're not going to turn to the Taliban for good governance if a corrupt government wins the election.
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Categories: War and Terrorism, War in Afghanistan
Tags: Badghis province, Taliban
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