Taliban promise more war crimes

AP:

A purported Taliban spokesman said Monday that the militants will continue kidnapping foreigners in Afghanistan, as Afghan doctors dropped medicines for the ailing South Korean hostages held by the group since July 19.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said that the lives of 21 South Korean hostages rest on the shoulders of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Bush, who are holding two days of talks at Camp David, Md.

"Karzai and Bush will have responsibility for whatever happens to the hostages," Ahmadi said.

Karzai said in an interview aired Sunday that the Afghan government is working to free the hostages, but he indicated it wouldn't give in to Taliban demands to release imprisoned militants in exchange for the Koreans' lives, in part fearing it would only encourage more kidnappings.

Ahmadi, however, said the Taliban will continue with its methods.

"Whether the Kabul administration will do the (prisoner) exchange or not, it will not have any effect on our side. The process of kidnapping (foreigners) will be ongoing," Ahmadi said.

Meanwhile, an Afghan doctor who heads a private clinic said he dropped off $2,000 worth of antibiotics, vitamins and first aid kits in rural Ghazni province Sunday intended for the Koreans, two of whom are said to be extremely ill. Dr. Mohammad Hashim Wahwaj said the Korean's Taliban captors told him they had picked up the medicines.

The Taliban have demanded that 23 militant prisoners being held by Afghanistan and at the U.S. base at Bagram be freed for the Koreans, but the Afghan government has all but ruled that option out.

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The promised Spring-Summer offensive by the Taliban has become a kidnapping offensive in an attempt to recruit Taliban militants from jail. That this is a war crime appears to be of no moment to the Taliban or the media. They both present is as a problem for the legitimate government of Afghanistan and the US. The US needs to turn this media campaign around on the Taliban and the best way to do that is to point out the war crimes involved.

The Strategy Page also notes the change in tactics by the Taliban. It comes from the failure of the traditional Taliban form of attack which has led to crushing casualties for the Taliban.

The Jawa Report has a post indicating the Taliban have lost two more leaders to capture. This kidnapping tactic does not appear to be solving their manpower problem.