An Interview with former Deputy Minister of the Interior, Lieutenant General Abdul Hadi Khaled

Q: What is the Taliban’s aim in carrying out their latest attacks (against Bagram and Kandahar Air Force Bases), right at the time that the Peace Jirga is scheduled to begin and the Kandahar operation is being planned? Are they conducting psychological warfare? Trying to show their power?

A: I think the Afghan government and its international stakeholders should make an effort to understand the tactics and programs of the Taliban. In general, the Taliban are not trying to take power from the foreign forces; they are not even trying to capture the main centers in Afghanistan.

Instead, they intend to capture the minds of the public, and show people that Karzai’s government is a puppet of the foreigners and has no credibility among people. They want to demonstrate that the foreign forces have no power to fight against the Taliban.

The Taliban now use similar tactics to those used by the mujaheddin during the Soviet invasion; the aim is to exhaust the international community.

In the southern regions of the country, the Taliban are walking among the people and showing their power. They are using psychological warfare to win people’s trust.

The Taliban keep telling people that the current war is against them and that the Taliban are here to protect them. They succeed in this to some extent. The Afghan government and the foreign forces have changed their tactics too, but still they fail in their approach to the public.

On the other hand, the Taliban benefit from the failures and weaknesses of the Afghan government and its international friends.

Q: The attack on Bagram Air Base, which caused the death of 16 Taliban insurgents and injured five Americans, was not a big achievement for the Taliban. In your opinion, what was the main goal of that attack?

A: The Taliban did not mean to destroy or take control of the base; they just wanted to show that they are present in everywhere. They carried out that attack for political purposes. The Taliban’s goal was not to cause heavy casualties to the foreign forces; they wanted to create fear among them, and they achieved their goals to some extent. 

Q: The attack on Bagram Air Base was not successful; but the Taliban carried out a similar attack in Kandahar. Were these attacks negative reactions to President Karzai’s peace proposal?

A: The Taliban need to carry out such attacks to show their power and presence because approximately 80 percent of their leaders have been arrested. They want to show that they will never accept defeat, in spite of losing their leaders. They do not obey any national and international treaties.

It is difficult for the Taliban to come to the table because they do not accept the latest achievements of the government and the international community in Afghanistan.

Maybe the low-level Taliban are ready to reconcile with the government; but such reconciliation will not bring effective results in establishing peace in Afghanistan. So the Taliban should be forced to come to the table.

In my opinion, the Marjah operation was successful to some extent, but it had many shortcomings. Using the lessons learned in Marjah, the operation in Kandahar should be planned properly to achieve the expected results.

A diplomatic war against Pakistan should be begun; because the interests of regional countries are one of the main factors in the re-emergence of the Taliban insurgency.

We see no signs of reconciliation among the Taliban; on the other hand, those who were allegedly ready for negotiations with the Afghan government have been arrested by Pakistan. So in addition to the attempts by the Afghan government and United States, Pakistan’s cooperation is a key factor for negotiating with the Taliban and achieving peace.

Q: If 100,000 foreign troops and Afghan forces cannot afford the expenses of this long and costly war, how are the Taliban able to continue, both financially and logistically?

A: There is a difference between the expenses of the NATO troops and those of the Taliban fighters. For instance, each American soldier costs $1 million per year; each European soldier costs $700,000 per year. The Taliban spend much less money; but war is still expensive.

It is still unclear who supports the Taliban movement financially. Even though most of those responsible for the logistical arrangements of the Taliban have been arrested, the war continues. We must identify the financial resources of the Taliban, even if we are negotiating with them.

Q: What will happen to Karzai’s peace proposal if the Taliban keep up their attacks?

A: You should not beg for peace; you must achieve it. In addition to military preparations we must win the support of the people. Good governance and effective policy is essential for promoting peace in our country.
Afghanistan has experienced a failed reconciliation: “the reconciliation of former communist leader, the late Dr. Najibullah,” which caused civil war, and the collapse of the communist regime; five years later, Dr. Najib was hanged by the Taliban.

To avoid a similar tragedy, we should pay a lot of attention to this reconciliation. In order to eliminate a phenomenon, its roots and factors should first be recognized. Then it is easy to fight and eliminate it.  We should know first why the Taliban are re-emerging, and then we can find the path to reconciliation.

We should pave the way for establishing peace; those who are involved in the government should agree on negotiations with the Taliban. The government should talk with all political parties -- those that oppose the government as well as those that support it -- and their opinions should be taken into account.

For instance, the National Front fought with the Taliban for a while and now they are in power in the government. Does the president assure them that they will not be threatened if the Taliban join the government? Or does the Taliban believe that they can join the government given the presence of such figures? 

Q: Some people believe that the Taliban do not have the capacity to fight with government forces; on the other hand, they are growing stronger by the day. What do you think?

A: The Taliban are using two types of tactics: military tactics and ideological or psychological warfare tactics. The Taliban manage close to 150 suicide attacks each year as a form of military tactics.

Mining areas, particularly roadsides, is one of their tactics; considering the extensive area of Afghanistan and the lack of a police force, it is difficult for the government to station a police officer along each roadside to control the area. I think ten people can easily destroy dozens of bridges and create huge problems for the government.

Another tactic is that the Taliban benefit from the government’s weak points. For instance, people are really tired of corruption in the government, particularly in institutions like the courts and the attorney general’s office. The Taliban benefit from the situation and solve people’s cases quickly and efficiently in the areas under their control.

Q: Considering the increase in Taliban attacks, how confident are you, as a military expert, in the success of the Peace Jirga?

A: It is obvious that the Jirga is dominated by government people. The majority of Jirga participants are government supporters. In my opinion, the government intends to obtain legitimacy in the Jirga; such tactics are very important in political fights.

This Jirga cannot bring peace to the country because the Taliban are not invited. On the other hand, Karzai and his team offer peace proposals to the Taliban that are repeatedly rejected. Not even the president’s two deputies agree with him on reconciliation. Therefore, to achieve peace, the strategy should be changed. There needs to be a widespread effort to establish peace.