The Wall Street Journal reports:
The revelation that an impostor passed himself off as a Taliban leader in Afghan peace talks called into question coalition reports of progress in the war, and illustrated how little the allies know of the insurgency’s top leaders and the difficulty that lack of knowledge presents for U.S. strategy.
The man, who claimed to be one of the highest-ranking members of the Taliban, held at least two meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials in recent months, officials said.
Senior coalition officers—U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, chief of coalition forces, foremost among them—had sought to portray the nascent peace talks as a sign that the one-two punch of American forces clearing territory and Special Operations forces targeting insurgent field commanders was wearing down the Taliban and pushing them to the negotiating table.
Those claims are now in question. Many Western officials have concluded that the peace process is making little progress and the Taliban are ready to fight on.
HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa!
Give up USA!!!! You are an embarassment!!!!
Ah V.J. spoken like a true fool. What do you add to this? Anything?
From Syed Saleem Shazad at Asia Times Online —
“A member of a 70-member peace council set up in Afghanistan to advise on reconciliation was scathing, “It is ridiculous that people are willing to meet anyone who introduces themselves as a high authority within the Taliban. This is why we have this council – to vet people,” the Financial Times reported.”
The man was most likely a shopkeeper from Quetta. How can the US imagine flooding Afghanistan and Pakistan with hundreds of ignorant CIA and Blackwater operatives will lead to a competent Americanized strategy? They can’t tell a Mullah from a con artist. Just go home and let the experts at ISI take care of Afghanistan.
Dear Norman,
Fools were the ones paying an impostor to hold peace talks. Fools are the tax payers funding the fools who were paying an impostor to hold peace talks.
Fools are the ones who are not laughing out loud about this glaring example of North america incompetence.
Surge surge surge!