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A 'guest' of
the
Taliban
He much
prefers writing the stories, but Asia Times
Online correspondent Syed Saleem Shahzad made
the news with his apprehension by the Taliban in
Afghanistan. After a nine-day ordeal, Shahzad is
back in Karachi, and ready to do it all again.
(Nov 29,
'06)
| Deep inside the 'kingdom of
heaven'
The isolated
southwest of Afghanistan is, because of its very
remoteness, a key area in any conflict. In the
1990s, the hardy tribespeople there welcomed the
Taliban and their promises of a "kingdom of
heaven". Then came the Americans, flogging a
"paradise on Earth". Now the Taliban, in what they
view as a major success, are back in this
wasteland, with plans to extend their conquest.
(Dec 1,
'06)
How the Taliban prepare for
battle
Virtually under the
eyes of the occupying forces in Kandahar city,
Taliban logistics experts go about their business
of replenishing supplies, many of them from
government sources. At the same time, the Taliban
are active in surrounding areas preparing
tribespeople to fall in line under the Taliban
flag before next year's spring
offensive. Shahzad shares a taxi - and some
inspirational tapes - with a Taliban coordinator.
(Dec 4, '06)
Rough justice and
blooming poppies
After a
siege and bitter fighting of several months, the
Taliban recently drove British troops from Musa
Qala in Helmand province. Now the Taliban have a
new stronghold from which to strengthen their
guerrilla war. The tribespeople are pleased;
criminals swiftly have their heads hacked off, and
they can once again go about their business of
cultivating poppies. (Dec 6, '06)
Time out from a
siege
A battle-hardened
mujahideen leader during the anti-Soviet
resistance and now a Taliban field commander in
the middle of a siege of a NATO base, Abdul Khaliq
shares a sparse meal and a blanket with Shahzad.
He explains how divisions in Afghan society are
being healed in the face of a common enemy: the
occupation forces. (Dec 8, '06)
The vultures are
circling
At night, NATO
forces confined to a base near Kandahar fire their
guns into the sky, while the Taliban, bunkered in
a village just a few kilometers away, watch - and
wait. The two sides no longer engage each other.
But as Taliban commander Qari Hazrat tells
Shahzad, this is all part of the plan. (Dec 12, '06)
Taliban line up the heavy
artillery
To date, the
Taliban have mostly engaged their pawns against
foreign forces, with key leaders based safely in
the tribal belt between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Come spring, ahead of a planned mass armed
uprising, Mullah Omar and other Taliban
heavyweights will take up positions in Baghran in
Helmand province, already a Taliban stronghold.
Shahzad ventures to this remote region, and gets
caught between Taliban ignorance and tribal
wisdom. (Dec 20,
'06)
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