Thursday, September 15, 2011

Taliban hijack the US's narrative



By Gareth Porter
Asia Times

"While this week's Taliban attacks on multiple high-profile targets in Kabul claimed fewer lives than previous assaults, their sophisticated nature, likely use of insiders in the Afghan security apparatus and powerful media impact highlight how the insurgents have in recent months taken the US strategy of crafting a winning "narrative" for the war - and turned it on its head....

The US war strategy has been based at least in part on convincing Afghans that the United States would remain in Afghanistan indefinitely, and that the Taliban would weaken. But the Taliban war narrative that it is able to penetrate the even the tightest security and cannot be defeated appears to have far more credibility with Afghans of all political stripes than the narrative put forward by US strategists."

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