More propaganda

"Afghan mayor turns Taliban leader," announces Al Jazeera's top headline. But the man in question had not been mayor since the Taliban came to power, and had defected well over a year ago after being fired from his job as head of Herat's Department of Public Works. This story is not news by any stretch of the imagination, yet Al Jazeera considered it to be more important than the current financial Armageddon the planet is facing. I am apalled at this recent spate of pro-Taliban articles, and am very seriously considering finding somewhere else to get my news.

In other news, Hekmatyar has indicated that he would not be averse to switching sides (something he has a great deal of experience with), and the TTP is saying "uncle." I doubt that anything will come of the first (though I wouldn't put it past him), but it will be interesting to see what, if anything, will come of the second, especially inasmuch as the tribes are concerned.

US: More than 130 Taliban killed

The US-led coalition has said its troops have killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days. The fighters were killed in two separate battles in the western province of Herat, the US military said in a statement on Monday, suffering their heaviest losses this year.

Herat, bordering Iran, had been relatively safe until recently compared with the south and east, where the Taliban are most active. [More]


Comment:

Soon, I hope, I'll be able to report incidents like this on the now semi-mythological map. I've made something of a breakthrough with it, and hope to have it up and running soon.