Why are Taliban so strong? ?

Question

They are resisting and confronting the strongest powers on earth. Yet they are showing a great Resistance. Few days ago they killed 10 french troops and injured 21. How shameful. They say the reason of the big loss is lack of equipments.

I think the real reason is the lack of motive to fight.

Answer 1

They are? How bad have they wanted to attack the U.S. since 9/11, and how successful have they been, thanks to President Bush? Where's their buddy Saddam?

Answer 2

Because of political "war protesters" afraid we might hurt a citizen so we do nothing instead....and congress of course, who are trying to run the war just like Nam.  

We could kill them all in 2 weeks if we wanted to.

Answer 3

they don't like infidels on muslim soil.

Answer 4

They are over one billion muslims

Answer 5

Because the US wasted 5 years in Iraq, instead of pursuing the real enemy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Answer 6

these people live in absolute abject poverty still they dont want

MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! simple.

that is  because of their faith.

Answer 7

Afghans seem to grow up as fighting men from childhood.  They must learn fieldcraft and tactics as other kids in other countries learn to swim or ride a bike.  Historically, they have never been defeated - one of the few nations to be able to make that claim.

For the developed world to send forces into Afghanistan is lunacy, and flies in the face of the lessons of history.  The French have learned the same hard lesson as the British in the 19th century, the Soviet Union in the 20th and the US empire now.

I have to express the personal view that on this occasion, the French seem not to have been well led.  There is the issue of equipment, too, vehicles in particular - using soft skin vehicles in these circumstances is lunacy.  The British are notoriously bad in this respect - the old story of government by misers on behalf of millionaires and multinationals, and poor soldiers die as a result.

Our cretinous politicians should be put into uniform and sent there, with a few spare pairs of trousers, because they will need them - if they live so long!

On your issue of 'lack of will to fight', you don't understand that this is not like a conventional war for national survival - the reasons and motives are confused and confusing, and if the soldiers are anything like those I remember during the Troubles, they want, most of all, to come home alive, and an end to a pointless war.

PS, did Corvette ever have to change his trousers?  Sounds a right gung-ho civvy to me.

Answer 8

Taliban are not strong per se, and there is no Taliban as traditionally implied. Now a lot of groups come under the same banner. There is no one Taliban in Afghanistan now. The biggest reason is the way it was fought. The war was weak right from the start.

Then the biggest mistake was Iraq, once you take your eyes of the ball, there are consequences. In that time Taliban and Alqaeeda regrouped. Taliban have also learned and changed there tactics. Now they also directly target coalition forces, which has a psychological effect, as Afghans have become even more weary of their security.

Civil casualties are common which in turn outrages the Afghani public, which results in even more support for insurgents, as anger and resentment breeds hate. Government is corrupt, extremely corrupt.

Government officials are directly involved in drug trade, which is the direct source of capital for Taliban. Without cutting of this life line there is no possibility to defeat them.

There is nothing US has done right in Afghanistan, really. Right from the start rather than practicality, incompetent idiots have been running the war in Afghanistan. 70% of Afghans live in extreme poverty, on just $1 dollar a day. So how can you fight insurgency without the help of people themselves. There is no active process to engage Afghans. In Iraq Sunni insurgents were paid to combat Alqaeeda, Iranians helped against Mahdi militia.

So it is simply not possible to combat insurgency without tackling the causes first. The fact is morale is completely broken. Every week, every week there are casualties in Afghanistan. Without morale how do you fight an enemy. A lot more troops and money are needed. Troops in Afghanistan have been ordered to serve another extra month. There is no money, US is already paying for Iraq war by borrowing money from China.  

A war fought without preparation, without the right methods, required methods, with the advice of people who are expert - how can you win that war. People who have never seen a war what would they know anything about war. The biggest blunder without a doubt was Iraq!

Answer 9

They're really not.  In just about every fight they end up losing many more men than they manage to kill.  Only suicide bombs and roadside bombs work for them.  Those are the weapons of the desparate and defeated.  The Afghan people tip off NATO troops when they see Taliban.  Taliban have resorted to blowing up cell phone towers to prevent this, which makes the people hate them even more.  The only reason they haven't been completely eradicated is that they have fairly safe training and recruiting in Pakistan.  Their recruits are all young men from radical madrassas who generally don't come home after their first mission.  The Taliban can't keep this up forever, and even Pakistan is starting to make life tougher for them.