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| Afghanistan | |
| Taliban feel pinch of world financial crisis | |
| 2009-02-13 | |
The group, based near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, made the revelation on an Islamic website last Friday. Just as financial support from donors in the Middle East and Turkey has dropped off, prices for ammunition and weapons on the black market are skyrocketing. A rocket shell that used to cost $20 US now goes for $100, according to Seyfulkahar al-Muhaciri, part of the volunteer brigade of fighters. A spike in the cost of copper a year ago pushed up ammunition prices, and the world's slumping economy has forced Arab donors to cut their support, said John Thompson, a Canadian military and security analyst. "Everyone has taken a hit from the subprime mortgage crisis, and that includes the funding sources the jihadis are used to." U.S. missile strikes launched from remote-controlled Predator drones are inflicting losses on fighters based on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, said al-Muhaciri. Such air strikes often target foreign fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda, said Thompson. "If you look at the al-Qaeda command council from 2001, 80 per cent of those people are dead," he said. The presence of drones overhead means fighters spend a lot of time in hiding, said al-Muhaciri. Militants need to buy expensive missiles to defend against the drone attacks, but black market arms dealers are reluctant to sell to them for fear of antagonizing the U.S. and NATO, he added. If the Taliban or its allies were to acquire expensive anti-aircraft weapons, NATO would lose its primary strategic advantage, said military analyst Sunil Ram. "If they can start knocking down NATO aircraft, that changes the war," he said. Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line. Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men, he said. | |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 I'll bet their 401K's look like shit too... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-02-13 14:14 |
| #5 They already know how to dress like women... |
| Posted by: imoyaro 2009-02-13 13:16 |
| #4 Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line. Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men, he said. Poor old Jihadis will have to learn to clean and cook for themselves.Oh how the Saudis would be turning in their graves at the idea! |
| Posted by: Paul2 2009-02-13 12:13 |
| #3 *sigh* PIMF. Multi-tasking is not one of my strengths. Let's try that again, correctly ordering the quotes and responses. If the Taliban or its allies were to acquire expensive anti-aircraft weapons, NATO would lose its primary strategic advantage, said military analyst Sunil Ram. "If they can start knocking down NATO aircraft, that changes the war," he said. It seems to me, in my ignorance, that if Taliban or their clever Turkoman allies shot effective anti-aircraft missiles at NATO, ie U.S., Predators, the Predator operators would know exactly where to concentrate their fire to kill the clever bad guys... thus eliminating both clever Turkoman bad guys and their ever so expensive anti-aircraft missiles. But then, I daren't claim to truly understand the intricacies of such things. If the Taliban or its allies were to acquire expensive anti-aircraft weapons, NATO would lose its primary strategic advantage, said military analyst Sunil Ram. "If they can start knocking down NATO aircraft, that changes the war," he said. The poor, deprived darlings! Perhaps they should consider lowing themselves to marry a few local girls for the duration. After all, they can always triple talaq divorce them when they've won their little war. And surely the local daddies will be thrilled to so easily improve their breeding stock, as they have been elsewhere. Oh, wait. Elsewhere the locals greatly resent having their daughters taken by force by foreigners, and being saddled with the resulting offspring when the foreigners die or leave without warning. Still, that's later, not now, when the need is so great. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-13 11:50 |
| #2 If the Taliban or its allies were to acquire expensive anti-aircraft weapons, NATO would lose its primary strategic advantage, said military analyst Sunil Ram. "If they can start knocking down NATO aircraft, that changes the war," he said. The poor, deprived darlings! Perhaps they should consider lowing themselves to marry a few local girls for the duration. After all, they can always triple talaq divorce them when they've won their little war. And surely the local daddies will be thrilled to so easily improve their breeding stock, as they have been elsewhere. Oh, wait. Elsewhere the locals greatly resent having their daughters taken by force by foreigners, and being saddled with the resulting offspring when the foreigners die or leave without warning. Still, that's later, not now, when the need is so great. It seems to me, in my ignorance, that if Taliban or their clever Turkoman allies shot effective anti-aircraft missiles at NATO, ie U.S., Predators, the Predator operators would know exactly where to concentrate their fire to kill the clever bad guys... thus eliminating both clever Turkoman bad guys and their ever so expensive anti-aircraft missiles. But then, I daren't claim to truly understand the intricacies of such things. Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line. Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-13 11:46 |
| #1 All hail Obama's masterful strategy in the WOT. |
| Posted by: JFM 2009-02-13 09:35 |