Foreign Ministers gather to create taliban job fund

National Post

As Britain prepares to host a one-day conference in London on the way ahead in Afghanistan, Afghan and NATO officials are touting a potentially controversial new program to establish a US$500-million international fund to lure Taliban fighters away from their insurgency.

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's President, is expected to unveil his government-led "Reintegration and Reconciliation Program" at the meeting.

This would offer moderate Taliban fighters cash, jobs, protection and a chance to resettle in their country. In return, they must stop battling government and NATO troops, renounce violence, sever contacts with al-Qaeda and pledge to reintegrate into society.

Is NATO this daft to think that they can win the war by bribing low level taliban to quit the jihad? What will guarantee that the taliban who take up the offer won't just use the money to buy more weapons to use for another day. Whats to guarantee that some of these 'integrated' taliban won't blow themselves up later on.

If NATO believes that by buying of some taliban that they can negotiate a peace deal with the rest of the taliban (believe me that's exactly what they're planning) then they have another thing coming. Islamic terrorists only believe in temporary ceasefires, or hudnas, with non-muslims and will use the time to build up their strength to fight another day.

According to Umdat as-Salik, a medieval summary of Shafi'i jurisprudence, hudnas with a non-Muslim enemy should be limited to 10 years: "if Muslims are weak, a truce may be made for ten years if necessary, for the Prophet made a truce with the Quraysh for that long, as is related by Abu Dawud" ('Umdat as-Salik, o9.16).