A former Taliban fighter hands over his arms to join government troops in Herat. Photograph: Reza Shirmohammadi/AFP/Getty ImagesFrom The Guardian:
• Special forces funding fighters in Afghanistan
• Fears strategy could further destabilise country
US special forces are supporting anti-Taliban militias in at least 14 areas of Afghanistan as part of a secretive programme that experts warn could fuel long-term instability in the country.
The Community Defence Initiative (CDI) is enthusiastically backed by Stanley McChrystal, the US general commanding Nato forces in Afghanistan, but details about the programme have been held back from non-US alliance members who are likely to strongly protest.
Read more ....
My Comment: As more news and information comes out, protests against such a program will probably increase .... the hiring of mercenaries to do our dirty work. But from my point of view, this program .... if properly coordinated by embedded special forces .... will probably be a smashing success.
In the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, special forces were embedded in Northern Alliance and anti Taliban forces throughout Afghanistan. This combination and cooperation was terribly effective in decimating and/or destroying entire units of the Taliban.
U.S. commanders are obviously hoping for a repeat of history, and are also using their Iraqi experience to further fortify their attempts to make such a cooperation not only feasible, but effective over the long run.
General McChrystal has always wanted to take off the gloves to go after the Taliban, and it appears that he will do so but with a mercenary army of Afghans backed with the advice and firepower of embedded U.S. military personnel.
This has the potential to be a game changer in the Afghan war.