The Taliban is not America's enemy

[Locutus]

What an idiot. :lol:


Vice President Joe Biden can make the most outrageous gaffes and the major media will try to ignore it. Take his interview with Newsweek. "Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That's critical," Biden said. "There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy, because it threatens U.S. interests."
ABC's Jake Tapper blogged the remarks, and asked Jay Carney about them at the White House. But who covered it? ABC, CBS, and NBC have totally skipped it on air. The Washington Post and The New York Times show no coverage in Nexis -- which often includes their blog postings. USA Today and NPR had nothing. Even the Associated Press has been absent. Sen. John McCain lit into Biden on CNN's The Situation Room on Tuesday:

Read more: Omission Watch: Nets, AP, Major Papers Skip Biden Saying Taliban 'Not Our Enemy' | NewsBusters.org
​

 

[The Old Medic]

Of course they are not the enemy of the USA. Everyone knows that the ONLY enemy of the USA are the Republicans.

At least according to Barack Biden, Inc!

 

[earth_as_one]

The Taliban became the enemy of the US after the US attacked the Taliban, not the other way around. The Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 or any attack against the American people or armed forces... until after the US attacked them.

The reason why the US attacked the Taliban is that the people allegedly responsible for 9/11 were in the Taliban controlled region and the Taliban refused to extradite them until the US offered some proof backing up their allegations. The US responded by arming and joining forces with the Alliance (the other side of a simmering Afghan civil war).

"Our position is that if America has evidence and proof, they should produce it. We are ready for the trial of Osama bin Laden in the light of the evidence," Zaeef said.
The Taliban has stated that any trial process would have to be instigated by the Afghan Supreme Court, with senior Muslim clerics from three members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference participating as observers.
http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/post911/attacks/afghanistan/metimes_taliban_defies_bush.htm


The Taliban reaction to 9/11 in their own words:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w79rdtSmzhw

BTW, that's not a defense of these religious Zealots but a clarification regarding who started this conflict.

 

[Goober]

The Taliban became the enemy of the US after the US attacked the Taliban, not the other way around. The Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 or any attack against the American people or armed forces.

The reason why the US attacked the Taliban is that the people allegedly responsible for 9/11 were in the Taliban controlled region and the Taliban refused to extradite them until the US offered some proof backing up their allegations. The US responded by arming and joining forces with the Alliance (the other side of a simmering Afghan civil war).]

Still sticking to that line. A true humanist.

 

[earth_as_one]

I don't support the Taliban. IMO, they are a group of medieval intolerant religious zealots.

I also don't support being ignorant and wrong. These are the facts as I understand them:
1) The US attacked the Taliban first, not the other way around.
2) The Taliban condemned the 9/11 attacks.
3) Before the Taliban would hand over OBL to the US or put him on trial, they wanted to see the evidence supporting US allegations.
4) The US refused to offer any evidence supporting their claims and instead started a war with the Taliban.

Feel free to prove me wrong.

 

[Cliffy]

I don't support the Taliban. IMO, they are a group of medieval intolerant religious zealots.

I also don't support being ignorant and wrong. These are the facts as I understand them:
1) The US attacked the Taliban first, not the other way around.
2) The Taliban condemned the 9/11 attacks.
3) Before the Taliban would hand over OBL to the US or put him on trial, they wanted to see the evidence supporting US allegations.
4) The US refused to offer any evidence supporting their claims and instead started a war with the Taliban.

Feel free to prove me wrong.

Of course there was none so they had to attack otherwise they might lose face because in fact the only "evidence" they had was a false confession by some guy who didn't look anything like bin Laden except he had a long beard.

 

[Goober]

I don't support the Taliban. IMO, they are a group of intolerant religious zealots. I also don't support being ignorant and wrong.

1) The US attacked the Taliban first, not the other way around.
2) The Taliban condemned the 9/11 attacks.
3) Before the Taliban would hand over OBL to the US or put him on trial, they wanted to see the evidence supporting US allegations.

The Taliban has a tight grip on all communications equipment that OBL was using - they removed it - they knew he was up to another attack. Yet what did they keep on doing. Nothing.



Diplomats Met With Taliban on Bin Laden (washingtonpost.com)

Over three years and on as many continents, U.S. officials met in public and secret at least 20 times with Taliban representatives to discuss ways the regime could bring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden to justice

Throughout the years, however, State Department officials refused to soften their demand that bin Laden face trial in the U.S. justice system. It also remained murky whether the Taliban envoys, representing at least one division of the fractious Islamic movement, could actually deliver on their promises.


Newly Disclosed Documents Shed More Light on Early Taliban Offers, Pakistan Role | Foreign Policy Journal
According to the BBC, the Taliban later even warned the U.S. that bin Laden was going to launch an attack on American soil. Former Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil said his warnings, issued because of concerns that the U.S. would react by waging war against Afghanistan, had been ignored. A U.S. official did not deny that such warnings were issued, but told BBC rather that it was dismissed because “We were hearing a lot of that kind of stuff”.[4]

 

[Spade]

I have a tough time sorting out who hasn't been in American bad books at one time or another. So, ...

 

[TenPenny]

I'd be interested in knowing how the Taliban was the US' enemy.

 

[earth_as_one]

The Taliban has a tight grip on all communications equipment that OBL was using - they removed it - they knew he was up to another attack. Yet what did they keep on doing. Nothing.



Diplomats Met With Taliban on Bin Laden (washingtonpost.com)

Over three years and on as many continents, U.S. officials met in public and secret at least 20 times with Taliban representatives to discuss ways the regime could bring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden to justice

Throughout the years, however, State Department officials refused to soften their demand that bin Laden face trial in the U.S. justice system. It also remained murky whether the Taliban envoys, representing at least one division of the fractious Islamic movement, could actually deliver on their promises.


Newly Disclosed Documents Shed More Light on Early Taliban Offers, Pakistan Role | Foreign Policy Journal
According to the BBC, the Taliban later even warned the U.S. that bin Laden was going to launch an attack on American soil. Former Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil said his warnings, issued because of concerns that the U.S. would react by waging war against Afghanistan, had been ignored. A U.S. official did not deny that such warnings were issued, but told BBC rather that it was dismissed because “We were hearing a lot of that kind of stuff”.[4]

Even according to you, the Taliban did stuff:

1) The took away OBL's communication equipment
2) The Taliban warned the U.S. that bin Laden was going to launch an attack on American soil

The Taliban were fighting a civil war at the time. All of their efforts and resources were dedicated to maintaining control over their part of Afghanistan and attacking their adversaries. OBL had nothing to do with their war, so I doubt they gave OBL much attention, while they were busy dealing with car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, battles for this outpost or that village... which was constant. I know the US thinks the world revolves around them, but for the Taliban, they had bigger fish to fry than OBL before 9/11.

I'd be interested in knowing how the Taliban was the US' enemy.

So would I. If you figure it out, please let the rest of us know....

 

[Spade]

Who is/has been on their bad books...
Canada
Britain
France
Germany
Austria
Hungary
Romania
Italy
Turkey
Russia
Ukraine
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Czechoslovakia
Estonia
Azerbaijan
Viet Nam
Laos
Cambodia
Philippines
Panama
Mexico
Haiti
Cuba
Columbia
Chili
Spain
indonesia
Japan
Armenia
Iraq
iran
Afghanistan
Libya
Egypt
Tajikistan
Korea
...
...sorry, my typing finger is tiring

 

[Goober]

Even according to you, the Taliban did stuff:

1) The took away OBL's communication equipment
2) The Taliban warned the U.S. that bin Laden was going to launch an attack on American soil

The Taliban were fighting a civil war at the time. All of their efforts and resources were dedicated to maintaining control over their part of Afghanistan and attacking their adversaries. OBL had nothing to do with their war, so I doubt they gave OBL much attention, while they were busy dealing with car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, battles for this outpost or that village... which was constant. I know the US thinks the world revolves around them, but for the Taliban, they had bigger fish to fry than OBL before 9/11.


So would I. If you figure it out, please let the rest of us know....

I provided links that gave you the information. Yet off you go again.

 

[Cannuck]

Who is/has been on their bad books...
......Poland......

How could she be in anybody's bad books?

 

[Spade]

Pink and red is a fashion faux pas!

 

[Goober]

Pink and red is a fashion faux pas!

You were checking the colors?

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

The poorest country on Earth was a threat to the USA, uh-huh.

But the Taliban didn't understand the political tea leaves in the USA at the time, the USA wanted vengeance for the 9/11 attacks/it was a wtichhunt/Afghan was a stepping stone to the Iraq war. They would have looked weak giving into to USA demands, but they would have remained in power. Now they'll get the country back in five years once the USA exits.

It would have been like saying sorry to your wife when you know she's wrong, but it's the only way to end the argument and get some peace. As many know, Asian men don't take orders from women no how.

 

[Spade]

Thank goodness we do. Keeps us from appearing really stupid.

 

[Johnnny]

The Taliban stuck by the side of Al-queda when coalition forces invaded Afganistan... They went down with them and this is already a proven fact.... Id have rather had the northern alliance of tribes who fought Al-queda and the taliban come out on top after the soviets left. At least they werent all that crazy and into Bin Ladenism.... The Taliban has stuck it out this far, they wont change no matter what.....

 

[TenPenny]

The Taliban stuck by the side of Al-queda when coalition forces invaded Afganistan... They went down with them and this is already a proven fact.... Id have rather had the northern alliance of tribes who fought Al-queda and the taliban come out on top after the soviets left. At least they werent all that crazy and into Bin Ladenism.... The Taliban has stuck it out this far, they wont change no matter what.....

Do yourself a favour, run out and read 'The Forever War' by Dexter Filkin (not the novel of the same name by someone else).

Then let us know who you think should 'come out on top', and, more importantly, how to tell who is who.

 

[Johnnny]

The taliban sheltered Al-queda, the taliban were very strict in their interpretation of sharia law... The northern alliance fought them.... What am i getting wroong? Im not saying their saints, but its obvious the taliban came out on top and its obvious by there actions who they are. The taliban along with the people of Al-queda they shelter are the ones bombing markets full of people. And im pretty sure the base of the Northern Alliance is far more diverse than the people of the Taliban.. Unless you would like to change my opinion with some facts i recommend you go run off and find someone else to lecture to about what they do and dont know.