The Taliban Strikes Back

Taliban capture two Afghanistan towns: Hey, waitaminnit, didn't we declare Mission Accomplished? Wasn't the Taliban thoroughly stomped upon?

What's going on? Can anybody explain this?

Well, okay, enough with rhetorical questions. Basically the war in Afghanistan was an underfunded crock. Despite Afghanistan being the location of the cuplrits of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the major war focus was not on Afghanistan but on Iraq. Iraq had nothing to do with that attack, yet the major focus was on creating a war in Iraq.

And.. now... we see Pakistani's helping the Taliban to reestablish itself. Wait, isn't Pakistan the Friend of the United States? Well, these Pakistani's are of the border tribal areas, as are the Taliban themselves. I get the impression that along the Pakistan and Afghanistan border is a tribal area that isn't fully integrated with either country, and possibly is its own culture separate from both Pakistani and Afghan cultures.

Scores of Taliban militants chased police out of two southern Helmand districts near the border with Pakistan.

... Afghan officials have said scores of Taliban fighters, many crossing into Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan, fought Garmser's small contingent of policemen -- holed up in a concrete compound -- for 16 days before the police withdrew.

While Taliban militants have long operated freely in former southern stronghold provinces, their capture of two towns highlights the weakness of Afghanistan's police forces in remote areas, and the challenge ahead faced by international forces to restore order in the country.

"The Taliban have reconstituted and dispersed, but this is certainly not about the Taliban being strong. The reality is that the government has not yet extended to the far-reaching areas of the country," Collins said.

Col. Collins is proving himself to be a master of spin.