Afghans Offer Jobs to Taliban Rank and File if They Defect

Gul Agha Shirzai, the governor of Nangarhar Province, told Afghan tribal elders this month, “O.K., I want you guys to go out there and persuade the Taliban to sit down and talk.” Moises Saman for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — The American-backed campaign to persuade legions of Taliban gunmen to stop fighting got under way here recently, in an ornate palace filled with Afghan tribal leaders and one very large former warlord leading the way.

“O.K., I want you guys to go out there and persuade the Taliban to sit down and talk,” Gul Agha Shirzai, the governor of Nangarhar Province, told a group of 25 tribal leaders from four eastern provinces. In a previous incarnation, Mr. Shirzai was the American-picked governor of Kandahar Province after the Taliban fell in 2001.

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My Comment: I am skeptical with the idea that the Taliban can be paid off. Many of them are from outside the country .... Pakistan to be specific .... and most are involved because of religious and ideological reasons. While it is true that many are also involved because of money, it is money that they can also earn if they join the Afghan Army.

I am more optimistic on the formation of tribal militias. These militias were incredibly successful in Iraq, and there is every reason to believe that they will also work in Afghanistan. Tribal loyalties trump everything, and in Afghanistan (with a minimum of 400 tribes) this can become a powerful weapon.