Article

2010-03-08 Afghanistan

Afghan militants battle Taliban, defect to gov't

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Posted by ed 2010-03-08 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Please delete.

Posted by ed 2010-03-08 00:23|| 2010-03-08 00:23|| Front Page Top

#2 Why, ed?

Posted by trailing wife 2010-03-08 00:32|| 2010-03-08 00:32|| Front Page Top

#3 Duplicate info already posted by Fred.

Posted by ed 2010-03-08 00:41|| 2010-03-08 00:41|| Front Page Top

#4 Hezeb-Islami are not Taliban. They were the first islamist movement funded by the Pakistanis. However they were defeated by Ahmad Shah Massud (leader from the Northern Alliance murdered two days before 9/11). At this point Pakuistan switched support to Mullah Omar's Taliban.

On the religious and anti-american side Hezb-e-Islami are about as bad as teh Taliban. They are also about as Pashtun-supremacist. Perhaps, but I don't them as well so take it with a grain of salt they are more nationalistic and less prone to take orders from Arabs.

So it is nice for having some pop-corn but I wonder at the price the Afghan governemnt has paid for teh Herzb.

Posted by JFM 2010-03-08 01:59|| 2010-03-08 01:59|| Front Page Top

#5 Gun battles between the Taliban and other Islamist faction left at least 50 dead fighters. Militants in North Afghanistan fought over control of the province with staggering government system. this is Afghanistan politics.

Posted by politics 2010-03-08 04:28|| http://www.fpolitics.com/ 2010-03-08 04:28|| Front Page Top

#6 i wouldn't consider this defecting too the govt. either since they are vying for control of towns where there is very little govt. presence sounds more like a drug war

Posted by chris 2010-03-08 11:11|| 2010-03-08 11:11|| Front Page Top

#7 some years ago there was a split in the Hezb-e-Islami and after the split there was a larger group ( which I think was loyal to and subsidized by Gulbuddin) and a smaller group (less loyal and less subsidized).

Posted by lord garth 2010-03-08 14:09|| 2010-03-08 14:09|| Front Page Top

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