Source:
The Guardian'Dividing the insurgency' is key part of Britain's strategy, says foreign secretaryAndrew Sparrow, senior political correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 November 2009 12.36 GMT Addressing the Nato parliamentary assembly in Edinburgh, Miliband {Britain's Foreign Secretary} said that the military surge in Afghanistan had to be matched by a "political surge" that would allow the country to become free of al-Qaida and have good relations with its neighbours.
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He added: "Some Afghan Taliban may be committed to global jihad. But the vast majority are not. Their primary commitment is to tribe and to locality. Our goal is not a fight to the death. It is to demonstrate clearly that they cannot win, and to provide a way back into their communities for those who are prepared to live peacefully."
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...Miliband used his Edinburgh address to provide more details of the way "a political surge can be turned from a cliche into a reality".
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"Once reintegration gains momentum, and the insurgency is starting to fray or crumble, we will need to support President Karzai in reaching out to those high-level commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al-Qaida and pursue their goals peacefully within the constitutional framework."
Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/17/miliband-taliban-afghan-society
This is a short but fascinating article. Britain's equivalent of Sec'y of State has clearly been talking w/ people who know the country very well. He points out that in today's Afghan gov't people who had sworn blood oaths against each other during the Russian involvement now work together. He also cites info that less than 5% of Afghanis want the Taliban back in power. He outlines ways to make civilians more secure. I recommend taking the few minutes it takes to read the article.