Logical fallacy of the Taliban kind

Lynne Mckinlay

“Coalition forces, including many brave Afghans, have brought America, Afghanistan and the world its first victory in the war on terror,” the president said. “Afghanistan is no longer a terrorist factory sending thousands of killers into the world.”

(Bush: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 )

How ironic these words now sound, when the main stream media makes the claims that the Taliban are in a position to have been able during the 5 years of military occupation to stockpile weapons to be used against the west. Could it be the case perhaps they are stashed with Osama in Tora bora?

Recall back to the days following 911, it is easy to recall, the mantra of how these people were a threat to western freedoms. Acusing the Taliban of hiding the man , they implicated in their own false flag terror plot. The war in Afghanistan was put across as a necessity of protection. The Taliban that they know wished to smear, had now come into target for its treatment of its peoples. However the recollection is short. As you always find , when the west want public opinion on its side, but it fails to neglect with its own explanation of why it became an issue at a certain point and was not always an issue.

The Taliban, quite rightly asked for proof before handing over bin Laden and giving that the accusations is omitted its self on his most wanted file, it is understandable. The evidence 5 years down the line, (does anyone still really with strong conviction believe that it was all down to one man in cave) is weaker. It is the attribution of responsibility too and the balance of how they are treated, we should observe. If we are going to take the case.that there are axis of evil , who support terrorism and must be stopped, then why is it the case, that Saudi Arabia, who had many of the accused terrorist of 911 ( the same ones that later turned up alive).

The dictating of how Iran should conduct its self concerning any nuclear capabilities, is another reminder of the illogical and blatant hypocrisy of American and those that sing along with its forign polict tune. Iran who has not attacked its neighbours, has had a US backed war from Iraq on its door step though and is vilified in the press as an axis of evil. Touted as a threat if it had nuclear capabilities. Yes it has said it would attack Israel, but it has to put in the context of what was said. It was said if the US attacked it. Israel is a US funded project and if the US attacked Iran, it would only make logical defense for Iran to attack Israel to prevent any attacks from there happening. The case would be if there was a war with Iran the Us would utilise its Israeli investment. On the other hand Pakistan and India have been given no such condemnation, and they have a history of conflict. Pakistan also is another example of the different treatment of countries. I have not witnessed the same number of identified extremists being Iranian as they are of Pakistan and Saudi Arabian descent. Yet they are not on the axis.

Now the Taliban are the current topic, talk of them regrouped stronger.This really does not make sense, it is illogical that by invading Afghanistan to disarm the Taliban , that they have in turn made the stronger. It is more likely the case that the invasion of Afghanistan was not about Bin Laden, nor about freeing the people (the same ones that were in their position because of US and Soviet backed wars in the region previously that led to the Taliban controlling the country). It makes more sense to think of the benefits in term of being a stepping stone. It was not able to logically make the step at that time from Bin Laden to Iraq, also the case of having control in that area led the way open for pipelines, that the Taliban were not playing ball with. The media image of the Taliban was tarnished already, they would take little demonizing, and the war in Afghanistan was a nice media trial run for Iraq. It bolstered spirit when it was claimed a success. However here we are 5 years down, a subsequent war in Iraq, that has left the country in civil war and the Taliban a bigger threat. The fact that terrorist attacks are bigger now is because the actions of these war, only breed the type of hate that America and others claim to want protection form.