From The Danger Room:Here in America, we view the Taliban as a bunch of fanatics. And there's plenty of historical evidence for the wild-eyed portrait. But the Taliban are trying to transform themselves into more of a movement of national liberation, Anand Gopal reports. "The insurgents are still fighting to install a version of [Islamic] law in the country. Nonetheless, the famously puritanical guerrillas have moderated some of their most extreme doctrines, at least in principle." And that could make the Taliban tougher to beat.
Last year, for instance, Mullah Omar issued an edict declaring music and parties -- banned in the Taliban's previous incarnation -- permissible. Some Taliban commanders have even started accepting the idea of girls' education.
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