Taliban feeling the pinch of world financial crisis

[Darth Wong]

Seriously. Don't laugh.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/02/1 ... ml?ref=rss

Taliban feel pinch of world financial crisis

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 | 9:04 AM ET
CBC News

Even the Taliban are feeling the effects of the global financial crisis.

A Turkish militant group, which has hundreds of Turkish, Chechen and Uzbek fighters allied to the Taliban, reported that a sharp drop in donations is hampering its fight against NATO soldiers.

The group, based near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, made the revelation on an Islamic website last Friday.

Just as financial support from donors in the Middle East and Turkey has dropped off, prices for ammunition and weapons on the black market are skyrocketing.

A rocket shell that used to cost $20 US now goes for $100, according to Seyfulkahar al-Muhaciri, part of the volunteer brigade of fighters.

A spike in the cost of copper a year ago pushed up ammunition prices, and the world's slumping economy has forced Arab donors to cut their support, said John Thompson, a Canadian military and security analyst.

"Everyone has taken a hit from the subprime mortgage crisis, and that includes the funding sources the jihadis are used to."

Sophisticated weapons difficult to obtain

U.S. missile strikes launched from remote-controlled Predator drones are inflicting losses on fighters based on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, said al-Muhaciri.

Such air strikes often target foreign fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda, said Thompson.

"If you look at the al-Qaeda command council from 2001, 80 per cent of those people are dead," he said.

The presence of drones overhead means fighters spend a lot of time in hiding, said al-Muhaciri.

Militants need to buy expensive missiles to defend against the drone attacks, but black market arms dealers are reluctant to sell to them for fear of antagonizing the U.S. and NATO, he added.

If the Taliban or its allies were to acquire expensive anti-aircraft weapons, NATO would lose its primary strategic advantage, said military analyst Sunil Ram.

"If they can start knocking down NATO aircraft, that changes the war," he said.

Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line.

Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men, he said.

OK, you can laugh now.

[tim31]

It truly is a global financial crisis

So there was mention of Al Qaeda, but nothing about how their coffers are looking? Or are they too well cushioned with oil money?

[muse]

Ex-president Bush was a genius afterall! By loosening regulations and allowing bankers to game the system and cause the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, he's managed to cut off the funding which terrorists depend on. My god, who could've imagined him coming up with such a devious plan to defeat terrorism!

[SirNitram]

Congratulations, Mr. Bin Laden. You got your wish and your goal for war: The US economy collapsed.

What's that? You weren't smart enough to work out you'd get hit with backlash? So sad!

[Guardsman Bass]

I guess the main Taliban group in Afghanistan is being very stingy with the heroin money. They should share the wealth.

Seriously, though, it did re-confirm one thing - those air-strikes seem to be seriously affecting them, at least psychologically speaking.

[Pelranius]

Now if they would only piss off the locals more than they already are. Sometimes the best way to do a job is to get someone else to do it for you.

[CJvR]

- those air-strikes seem to be seriously affecting them, at least psychologically speaking.

I suspect having 4 out of 5 of their top guys blown away would have a bit of an impact. Although not having mommy around to cook and clean up after her little Jihadist is probably worse.

[Karza]

Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line.

Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men, he said.

Okay, that cracked me up. Aww, poor little jihadists, missing mommy's cooking?

Why do those tasks need to be done by women anyway? Housekeeping is unbecoming of God's Warriors?

[Guardsman Bass]

- those air-strikes seem to be seriously affecting them, at least psychologically speaking.

I suspect having 4 out of 5 of their top guys blown away would have a bit of an impact. Although not having mommy around to cook and clean up after her little Jihadist is probably worse.

It's pretty hilarious, although not surprising - I'm guessing running off to be a Heroic Holy Warrior wasn't quite as cool as they though it would be.

This is a weird comment, but the whole business of using air-strikes by UAVs - isn't this the type of behavior that would have been criticized back in the 1990s for "cowardice" and an unwillingness to put "boots on the ground"?

[folti78]

Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line.

Only 15 Turkish women so far have come to Afghanistan with their men, he said.

Okay, that cracked me up. Aww, poor little jihadists, missing mommy's cooking?

Why do those tasks need to be done by women anyway? Housekeeping is unbecoming of God's Warriors?

But of course!!! A real, true Holy Warrior don't have time to do basic housekeeping between time to hide from UAVs, trying to fight an insurgency and reading the Qur'an hours long every day...
- "Aww brother, I feel my faith is lagging. I only read the Holy Qur'an for 3 hours today because the boss made me sweep the quarters."

[Broomstick]

Seriously. Don't laugh.

OK, but holding it in will make my face squinch up and turn funny colors....

A rocket shell that used to cost $20 US now goes for $100, according to Seyfulkahar al-Muhaciri, part of the volunteer brigade of fighters.

It's the free market at work!

"If you look at the al-Qaeda command council from 2001, 80 per cent of those people are dead," he said.

Sucks to be them.

The presence of drones overhead means fighters spend a lot of time in hiding, said al-Muhaciri.

What? Won't God protect them if they stroll about above ground?

Militants need to buy expensive missiles to defend against the drone attacks, but black market arms dealers are reluctant to sell to them for fear of antagonizing the U.S. and NATO, he added.

Because, you know, antagonizing the US has worked out so well for the jihadists, yeah...

Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line.

Because, you know, jihadist testicles are so prone to shrivel up and fall off if their owner is forced to do their own fucking housework! Those decadent westerners! Forcing their own soldiers to take care of their own needs! No wonder they are losing so --- oh, wait, they're not...

OK, you can laugh now.

Ah, happy, happy schadenfreude.....

[Coyote]

This is a weird comment, but the whole business of using air-strikes by UAVs - isn't this the type of behavior that would have been criticized back in the 1990s for "cowardice" and an unwillingness to put "boots on the ground"?

Remember, that's only if the President is a Democrat!

Ol' Bin-Laden also forgot that the US economy (well, most of the industrialized economies of the world) also have the ability to retool themselves for alternate power sources, even if the process is difficult. Sure, oil hit the magic $140.00/barrel mark, which OBL said was the benchmark for determining when America had been driven to it's knees, but forgot that such prices will drive everyone into the hands of solar, wind, nuclear, and other sources, making oil's price relatively moot in a few years. And since most of their funding from Arab governments is based on the one-trick pony of oil, they've boxed themselves into a corner.

[MKSheppard]

This is a weird comment, but the whole business of using air-strikes by UAVs - isn't this the type of behavior that would have been criticized back in the 1990s for "cowardice" and an unwillingness to put "boots on the ground"?

The criticism back in the 1990s did have a valid point.

Single-trick ponies like every six months or a year, rocketing a "suspected" al-Quaida terrorist once he's in a place where no "collateral damage" will occur is pretty much stupid. It has no real effect.

The policy we're doing now, e.g. having predators droning over Pakistan 24-7 in complete utter blatant violatin of Pakistan's sovereignity and with the pilots/commanders of the Predators having carte-blanche to fire at will on anyone suspected of being a bad guy, with little regard to "collateral damage" leads to results a lot different than in the 1990s.

We've managed to knock off like 4/5ths of their commanders in a couple months.

[Mayabird]

"If you look at the al-Qaeda command council from 2001, 80 per cent of those people are dead," he said.

Sucks to be them.

The presence of drones overhead means fighters spend a lot of time in hiding, said al-Muhaciri.

What? Won't God protect them if they stroll about above ground?

Methinks the ones who truly believed Allah would protect them from cause and effect (cause: Americans see them; effect: kablooie!) are part of that dead 80%.

It's memetic selection at work!

[Kanastrous]

We've managed to knock off like 4/5ths of their commanders in a couple months.

Although the increased collateral damage may possibly be as harmful to our goals, as missing the occasional kill.

[Darth Wong]

This is a weird comment, but the whole business of using air-strikes by UAVs - isn't this the type of behavior that would have been criticized back in the 1990s for "cowardice" and an unwillingness to put "boots on the ground"?

The criticism back in the 1990s did have a valid point.

Single-trick ponies like every six months or a year, rocketing a "suspected" al-Quaida terrorist once he's in a place where no "collateral damage" will occur is pretty much stupid. It has no real effect.

The policy we're doing now, e.g. having predators droning over Pakistan 24-7 in complete utter blatant violatin of Pakistan's sovereignity and with the pilots/commanders of the Predators having carte-blanche to fire at will on anyone suspected of being a bad guy, with little regard to "collateral damage" leads to results a lot different than in the 1990s.

We've managed to knock off like 4/5ths of their commanders in a couple months.

You can't think of any potential downsides to enraging the Pakistani population? It's not as if Pakistan is vastly more dangerous than Saddam Hussein ever was, right?

[Zixinus]

Adding to the difficulties of the insurgency, said al-Muhaciri, there is a shortage of women to cook and clean for fighters on the front line.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a significant factor when it comes to defeat. Being a Holy Warrior isn't that fun when you have to care for yourself and live a hard life.

[Kanastrous]

I dunno. I suspect that some percentage of them actually get off on living the hard life. Asceticism, plus some notion that they're living and fighting like their Prophet did...

[KrauserKrauser]

I would think that would work for maybe 20% of them, using the 80/20 guideline as a general approach to islamic fundamentalist morale.

The other ~80% would just bug out once it got too cold and they got too hungry.

[Kanastrous]

Is the 80/20 thing a general principle, or something devised specifically to apply to Jihadis...?

[Questor]

Is the 80/20 thing a general principle, or something devised specifically to apply to Jihadis...?

There are about a million 80/20 rules. They generaly run like this 80% of your ________ comes from 20% of your people.

I've mostly heard it this way: 80% of your problems come from 20% of your clients.

In this case, it probably means: 80% of your enthusiasm comes from 20% of you fighters.

[erik_t]

It's just some holistic line in the sand which is shifted ad hoc to get the desired proportions. It has no intrinsic validity, but I think it's useful in that it is a reminder that very few populations (in any sense of the word) are uniform.

[KrauserKrauser]

Agreed, I just added the fundy jihadi stuff to sound cool.

It's mostly a rule of thumb and in this case could easily be 95/5 or some such as the crazier the idea, the less people are going to be true believers.

[Elfdart]

Ex-president Bush was a genius afterall! By loosening regulations and allowing bankers to game the system and cause the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, he's managed to cut off the funding which terrorists depend on. My god, who could've imagined him coming up with such a devious plan to defeat terrorism!

Just like getting rid of fleas and lice by jumping head first into boiling water.

Brilliant! I take back everything I said about Dick Vader.

[Kanastrous]

Hey, the more thoroughly the village is destroyed, the more effectively it's saved...