NP? a view from Europe

[Otto]

Doug wrote:
> "not many hours after Rumsfeld sends out the message
> "take no prisoners"."
>

Seems as if have missed that point in Mr. Rumsfeld's words, can you give a
source? I have always thought the US were interested in investigating and
questioning prisoners to get information.

>
> our Northern Alliance cronies, the ones who are
> afraid to occupy the southern part of the country
> where they are hated even more than in the north
> where they raped and pillaged and massacred innocents
> prior to the Taliban takeover
>

Of course they're not better, we all know this. It's a wild country.
Therefor there's a conference going on right now near Bonn, our former
capital, where the UN and  Joschka Fischer are trying to get several Afghan
groups and semi-officials to some kind of agreement after decades of civil
war (with or without Russian/and/or US-interference). This is already more
diplomacy that has ever taken place about this topic, hoping that these
people have at least some kind of authority that doesn't come out of the
barrels of guns, if I may quote a little Mao here.

Usbeks, Tadjiks and other Northern minorities have nothing to do in the
south. It's on the Southern Pashtuns who have backed the Taliban during the
last decade now to make that area safe, to help the US to end the Taliban
regime there too.

Prior to Hitler's takeover there has been great unrest and instability in
Germany and many people have welcomed him like many Afghans might have
welcomed the Taliban in the beginning. But what you call "takeover" here
means civil war, killing and raping of innocents done by the Taliban or do I
get this wrong? Imposing the Islamist Laws which have little to do with the
Qu'ran, cutting arms for smoking dope, cutting ears for listening to music.
Or in the case of women rape and murder for not wearing the veil. In his
initial speech at the Petersberg-conference Joschka Fischer yesterday
emphasised the question of stability and civil rights, especially the rights
of women. And Afghan refugee women are using their guaranteed right to
demonstrate against the "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan" at the foot of the
Petersberg.
http://de.news.yahoo.com/011128/3/2ddeu.html

Otto