U.S. Sec. of State Clinton Says Most Taliban Fight Out Of Desperation, Not Belief

Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a conference on Afghanistan that most Taliban can be brought around to support the country's government. (Bas Czerwinski/Associated Press)

Canada Brokers Afghan-Pakistani Border Security Deal -- CBC

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that most Taliban fighters are in it for the wages — "not committed to a cause so much as acting out of desperation" — and could be brought over to the government side.

The CBC's David Common, reporting from The Hague, said no one expected the United Nations-sponsored meeting to solve Afghanistan's many problems, including political instability, drug trafficking and unrelenting violence.

The aim was to bring together the neighbours — a relatively new idea even after more than seven years of war — as well as countries such as Canada that have soldiers fighting in the country, he said.

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My Comment: What Sec. of State Clinton is saying is exactly what Soviet leaders were saying during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. I can only hope that the ending will be a different story.