Stardate 20011010.0649 (On Screen via long range sensors): I don't know anything about the
Far Eastern Economic Review so I can't say how reliable this report is. But if it's correct, it appears that the strategy is working and the Taliban may fall apart soon. The increasingly shrill announcements being made by the Taliban about how they'll resist to the last man and how strong they are now appear to have been intended for local ears, to shore up popular support. If this article is correct, it's not working.
There are reports of wholesale defections of Taliban troops in the north. These are from the Northern Alliance, who have a vested interest in making it seem like the Taliban are falling apart, so they may be exaggerated or even fictional. But I think that there's a lot of truth in these reports; I think that the Taliban really are weakening. Let's hope it's true. (discussion in progress)
