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Study Points to Friction Between Taliban and al-Qaida

   VOA News  February 07, 2011
   FILE  -  In  this  Oct.  24,  2001 file photo, a Taliban fighter holds
   anti-tank   rockets  in  Torkham,  Afghanistan,  on  the  border  with
   Pakistan.

Photo: AP

   A  Taliban fighter holds anti-tank rockets in Torkham, Afghanistan, on
   the border with Pakistan (file photo)

   A  new report says Taliban militants in Afghanistan could be persuaded
   to renounce their ties to al-Qaida.
   The  report  which was published by New York University on Monday also
   warns  that U.S. policies in Afghanistan are creating younger and more
   militant Taliban leaders, who are less open to a peace deal to end the
   Afghan war.
   The  report  says attacks on local Taliban commanders and leaders will
   lead to younger more radical members of the Taliban taking control. It
   says  U.S.  authorities  should  create  a  dialog  with older Taliban
   leaders while they still retain their influence.
   It  says  the  Taliban  could  renounce  ties  with  al-Qaida if given
   security  guarantees  and that negotiations with the Taliban should be
   an integral part of the war effort.
   The  report,  "[1]Separating  the  Taliban  from Al Qaida: The Core of
   Success  in Afghanistan," is written by Alex Strick van Linschoten and
   Felix  Kuehn,  two  longtime  observers of Afghanistan. They say their
   findings  are  based  on  discussions  with  Taliban leaders in Kabul,
   Kandahar and Khost.

References

   1. http://www.cic.nyu.edu/afghanistan/docs/gregg_sep_tal_alqaeda.pdf

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