An American Embeded With The Taliban -- A Disturbing Report

Photograph by Nir Rosen (Rolling Stone)

How We Lost the War We Won -- Rolling Stone

A journey into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

The highway that leads south out of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, passes through a craggy range of arid, sand-colored mountains with sharp, stony peaks. Poplar trees and green fields line the road. Nomadic Kuchi women draped in colorful scarves tend to camels as small boys herd sheep. The hillsides are dotted with cemeteries: rough-hewn tombstones tilting at haphazard angles, multicolored flags flying above them. There is nothing to indicate that the terrain we are about to enter is one of the world's deadliest war zones. On the outskirts of the capital we are stopped at a routine checkpoint manned by the Afghan National Army. The wary soldiers single me out, suspicious of my foreign accent. My companions, two Afghan men named Shafiq and Ibrahim, convince the soldiers that I am only a journalist. Ibrahim, a thin man with a wispy beard tapered beneath his chin, comes across like an Afghan version of Bob Marley, easygoing and quick to smile. He jokes with the soldiers in Dari, the Farsi dialect spoken throughout Afghanistan, assuring them that everything is OK.

As we drive away, Ibrahim laughs. The soldiers, he explains, thought I was a suicide bomber. Ibrahim did not bother to tell them that he and Shafiq are midlevel Taliban commanders, escorting me deep into Ghazni, a province largely controlled by the spreading insurgency that now dominates much of the country.

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Commentary From Other Blogs On This Rolling Stone Article

Rolling Stone Rides Shotgun with the Taliban -- The Danger Room (Wired Magazine)
A Personal Problem With Nir Rosen's Dance With The Devil (Updated) -- Small Wars Journal
"I am Only a Journalist": Nir Rosen Tours with the Taliban -- Washington Note
Our world -- Belmont Club
Nir Rosen and the Taliban -- Captain's Quarters
Why Nir Rosen Isn't To Be Trusted -- Terry Glavin
'New Look' Rays = Neo-Taliban? -- Abu Muqawama
Embedded With The Taliban -- Jules Crittenden

My Comment: I felt sick when I read Nir Rosen's article in Rolling Stone. The commanders and leaders of the Taliban are the monsters who gave sanctuary and protection to the worse elements of Al Qaeda and Bin laden. The restoration of the Taliban back to power will only result in more 9/11s for us in the future. I know this, but Nir Rosen refuses to recognize this fact.

Critics of War News Updates comments on this subject mention that we should be more open minded and understanding .... sigh .... the reason why I am so harsh on the Taliban is that I understand their nature. They will not change .... for they cannot. And while I could not care less on what they may do in their own organization, the Taliban have not and will not hesitate to support the worse creatures on this planet to strike against us. They have already done this on numerous occasions .... and they will continue to do so if given a safe haven like they had before.

This conflict is called "The Long War" by many in the business .... there is a reason why it is called a long war .... because it is going to be a long and costly war. I and many others have accepted this reality .... Nir Rosen wants to surrender.