January 8, 2008:
In Afghanistan, the
Taliban are fighting among themselves via press releases. It all began late
last month when Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar publically dismissed one of
his top military commanders, Shah Mansoor Dadullah, for disobeying orders.
Dadullah was also expelled from the Taliban. Shah Mansoor Dadullah was in
charge of Taliban operations in Kandahar and Helmand province. This is the most
active area of combat with the Taliban. Dadullah refused to accept the order,
and responded with claims that this was all the work of other Taliban leaders
who were jealous of the Dadullah family.
Shah Mansoor Dadullah is the younger
brother of Mullah Dadullah, another Taliban leader who was killed last May by
NATO troops. Shah Mansoor Dadullah succeeded his older brother, but apparently
not to the satisfaction of the top man in the Taliban; Mullah Omar. Mansoor
says that he tortured the truth out of some traitors, who informed him that his
elder brother was murdered by other Taliban, who made it look like NATO troops
got him. This goes over well with pro-Taliban Afghans, who prefer to think that
their badass leaders are being knocked off by other Taliban, rather than
government or NATO troops.
Both Dadullah brothers had a reputation
for greed and ruthless behavior. The Dadullah boys took well to working with
the drug gangs. Apparently the Taliban leadership is having second thoughts
about the un-Islamic behavior of this new generation of field commanders. But
now that this is spat is being fought via press releases, and perhaps,
eventually, violence, it is providing much entertainment, and encouragement,
for government and NATO troops. The government sees all this as a falling out
among thieves, and something that can only help the government in their war
with the Taliban and drug gangs.