http://www.commentarymagazine.com/20...-triumphalism/


Mullah Omar’s Triumphalism

Michael Rubin | @mrubin1971 10.25.2012 - 7:00 AM







On Wednesday, Mullah Omar, the elusive leader of the Taliban, released a message for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which this year falls on October 26. Omar’s message is well worth reading, especially against the backdrop of Obama administration efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.
As Ahmad Majidyar—probably the most astute Afghanistan analyst in the United States—points out, Mullah Omar used his address to redouble his commitment to a complete military victory. “We will continue to wage Jihad against the invaders who have invaded our country until the occupation ends completely,” he declared. Obama and Governor Romney might both have reaffirmed the 2014 pullout date during their most recent debate, but let us hope that they did so fully cognizant that no amount of spin will convince Afghans and Afghanistan’s neighbors that the withdrawal is anything but a Taliban victory.
Mullah Omar celebrates the “Green on Blue” attacks which have brought the Taliban to the verge of victory. I’ve addressed the ideological motivation behind the “Green on Blue” attacks, here. The Pentagon continues to hamper itself by rooting insider attacks more in grievance than in jihadist ideology.Hopefully, Mullah Omar’s message will put a rest to that silly notion:
We call on the Afghans who still stand with the stooge regime to turn to full-fledged cooperation with their Mujahid people like courageous persons in order to protect national interests and to complete independence of the country. Jihadic activities inside the circle of the State militias are the most effective stratagem. Its dimension will see further expansion, organization and efficiency if God willing. I urge every brave Afghan in the ranks of the foreign forces and their Afghan hirelings who may find an opportunity to utilize this opportunity effectively and quash the enemies of Islam and country in their centers and use all possible means, opportunities and tactics to strike them. This is because Jihad is an obligation enjoined on every one. It is the duty of every individual of the nation from religious perspective and on the basis of his conscious to strive for the liberation and independence of his country.
Likewise, it is essential the Obama administration and the State Department pay attention to what Mullah Omar says of negotiations and diplomacy, especially as that has become the central pillar of the Obama administration’s exit strategy. Omar makes no secret that his goal in talks is the release of prisoners—not peace with the Afghan government. He assures Afghans that the Taliban is “neither thinking of monopolizing power nor [do we] intend to spark off domestic war,” but any Afghan knows to take such assurances at his peril. After all, Mullah Omar made the same assurances upon taking Kandahar in 1994 and again in 1996, right before the Taliban seized Kabul and purged all opposition.
Afghans have never lost a war; they just defect to the winning side. At a dinner party a month ago, a CIA operative who recently returned from Afghanistan said she thought that soft-partition was going to be the best possible outcome. Partition—soft or hard—will be impossible in Afghanistan, however, because it ignores the importance of momentum. Mullah Omar appreciates what the CIA doesn’t. “Our Jihadic momentum has reached a phase that enjoys comprehensive global Islamic support.”
Jihadists issue declarations all the time. They are not without meaning. Some are defensive, and others are fantastical. Mullah Omar’s tone and statements, however, are illustrative of his goals and strategy. Let us hope that a desire to withdraw “on schedule” will not affirm Mullah Omar’s triumphalism.

Taliban Urge Obama to Speed Up Afghan Withdrawal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...26505414.html?


BY MARIA ABI-HABIB

KABUL—The Taliban advised President Barack Obama to use his second term to focus on America's domestic problems instead of "policing the world" and urged the U.S. to speed up the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan.
The insurgent statement, issued hours after President Obama told supporters in Chicago that "a decade of war is ending," said that the American public was ...


Taliban urge Obama to pull troops out now
(AFP) –
KABUL — Taliban insurgents told re-elected President Barack Obama Wednesday to admit that the United States has lost the war in Afghanistan and pull its troops out now.
"Obama must by now know that they have lost the war in Afghanistan," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement posted on the Islamists' website.
"So, without further lying and delays, they should leave our sacred land and focus on their own country instead."
Accusing Americans of committing war crimes, he added: "The American administration should stop acting like police in the world and focus on solving their own people's problems, and don't make the world hate Americans even more."
The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, were ousted by a US-led invasion for harbouring Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks.
They have since waged a bloody insurgency against the government of President Hamid Karzai, which is backed by more than 100,000 NATO troops, mostly Americans.
All NATO combat troops are due to withdraw by the end of 2014 and hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces.