Key commanders abandoning Taliban

[David Morris]

http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1396716404

Key commanders abandoning Taliban

PESHAWAR: Taliban control over key provinces in eastern Afghanistan is 
beginning to weaken, with several commanders close to abandoning their 
support for the militia, Afghan sources here said on Thursday.

The sources said several Taliban allies in Paktia, Nangahar, Laghman and 
Kunar were wavering in their backing of the fundamentalist militia, due to 
long-term concerns over a drop in business and current fears of an attack by 
the United States.

One source, a Pakistan-based Afghan businessman with regular contacts with 
three commanders in Kunar and Nangahar, said the Taliban were losing its 
grip in several districts, notably in rural areas that it is less eager to 
defend.

"The commanders are unhappy with the way things are going. Some commanders 
in Kunar, for example, are no longer making money from the timber trade now 
the borders are shut," said one source, a member of a now-neutral mujahideen 
(holy warriors) group.

"The Taliban position in major towns is safe for the moment, but they don't 
have any real presence in some of the outlying areas. They have abandoned a 
lot of posts, and local commanders are close to abandoning them," another 
Afghan source said.



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