As Washington Escalates Military Operations, American Officials “Discover” ISI-Taliban Nexus

Long considered the realm of “conspiracy buffs” The New York Times, citing anonymous “American government officials,” have belatedly “discovered” that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI) is aiding the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

That ISI operatives were reportedly involved in planning the 9/11 attacks, the ostensible reason for the 2001 U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan remains as they say, “off the table.” Yet, as The History Commons reports, Operation Diamondback uncovered a 2001 plot jointly-run by ISI operatives and organized crime figures to illegally purchase weapons, including Stinger missiles and nuclear components, for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. According to The History Commons, citing The Washington Post and MSNBC:

This headline made me laugh . . . Wannabes. (But, seriously, do you blame 'em?)

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090117/taliban_expanding_090117/20090117?hub=World

Taliban claims they've formed shadow government
Updated Sat. Jan. 17 2009 10:22 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Taliban are claiming they control 70 per cent of rural Afghanistan and have instituted a shadow government with their own police, courts and rule of law.

The boast comes in the days leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president, who is planning on dramatically ratcheting up America's military presence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's claim is being dismissed by many inside Afghanistan as empty rhetoric, but there is little denying that their presence is expanding.

Khalid Pashtoon, a member of the Afghan Parliament, says there isn't enough NATO and Afghan troops to police the entire country. As well, the justice system is spread thin and some villagers are turning to the harsh - but swift -- justice system of the Taliban.

"Right now the people have completely lost their faith, they mostly solve their legal disputes over Taliban judges," he said.

New York Times Misleads on Taliban Role in Opium Trade

The New York Times and other major U.S. media sources commonly report on the production of opium in Afghanistan as though it were under the control of the Taliban. The facts on the ground, however, tell a different story. Who dominates the Afghan opium trade? Foreign Policy Journal investigates.

November 29, 2008

By Jeremy R. Hammond

The New York Times reported this week that the Taliban have cut back on poppy cultivation and is stockpiling opium, grossly overstating the group’s role in the Afghanistan drug trade.

“Afghanistan has produced so much opium in recent years,” the Times reported Thursday, “that the Taliban are cutting poppy cultivation and stockpiling raw opium in an effort to support prices and preserve a major source of financing for the insurgency, Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the United Nations drug office, says.”

http://endthefed.us
http://meetthetruthers.com
http://wacla.org

On the 8/13/08 edition of the weekly show "Middle East in Focus" on KPFK, the Pacifica affiliate here in LA, host Don Bustany had on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Roy Gutman, who recently authored "How We Missed the Story: Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban and the Hijacking of Afghanistan."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmNMU1Nbfjk

I just stumbled on this must-read article concerning Taliban and a US State Department paid Afghan businessman.

Cockburn and St. Clair lay out shocking evidence that implicates both Clinton And Bush (although they only blame Bush in their editorializing) for deliberately leaving bin Laden free and at large, despite numerous offers by Taliban to turn him over, kill him or deal with him in any other way -- unconditionally.

Note, that bin Laden was indeed on the FBI Most Wanted List for the African embassy bombings of 1998, at the time the article recounts. Bin Laden had also declared war on the US and "the Jews," in two fatwas issued in 1998. The fatwas encouraged Muslims to attack US and Israeli civilians as well as military targets.

So, why would the US government -- across two administrations -- repeatedly refuse the Taliban's offers of extradition?

The below information fits in seamlessly with other reports of a similar nature.

CounterPunch's editorializing (spin) is the weak part. This insider witness, Mr. Mohabbat, should be a household name and a part of any new investigation into 9/11.

Source: http://www.medina-gazette.com/Articles.asp?num=59666344

Medina-Gazette - Mar 20 12:04 AM

Iraq war anniversary misses 9/11 focus

It's the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. It also feels like the anniversary of the end of our national focus on bringing the architect of 9/11 to justice.

Just a quick tour of the numbers, to help us get our bearings.

According to the Pentagon, there are about 27,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan — the highest number since the October 2001 invasion. They are part of a NATO-led force of around 50,000. According to the Department of Defense, there have been 369 American service personnel killed in Afghanistan, as well as 676 who were wounded and unable to return to action.

In Iraq, there are upwards of 142,000 U.S. troops. The Associated Press puts the current number killed at 3,217. Those wounded and unable to go back: 10,685, according to the DOD.

Parade Magazine is a (mostly) generic fluff publication that is inserted into many weekend newspapers. Each issue contains a Q&A section that is moderated by Walter Scott (who also provides the answers). Most of the questions revolve around Hollywood celebrities, but there is an occasional question that deals with other issues, including politics. The January 28, 2007, issue contains the following:

Q: With the Taliban making a comeback in Afghanistan, how much help can we expect from President Musharraf, our Pakistani ally? -- T.D. of Boston Mass.

A: Not much. Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence has been secretly training and equipping the Taliban. And experts say that agency doesn't make a move without Musharraf's knowledge and approval.

It's possible that I'm a bit behind the times, but I consider that to be quite an exposé for a mainstream-media publication.

When will the "terrorists" strike again?

On September 12th, 2006, the military "leaked" a photo showing 190 reported Taliban militants at a funeral in Afghanistan.
190 "Terrorists" shown attending a funeral in peace a trigger finger away from death by Predator.
The picture leaked a day after 9/11/06.

How will the 190 Taliban funeral photo lead to an invasion of Afghanistan?
How will that lead to an invasion of Iran?
Will a dirty bomb be detonated in the U.S. with evidence traceable to the Iranian Nuclear Program?

Did you wish death upon the 190 people in the photo?
How many people will die next to convince the American people to expand the Middle Eastern takeover?

I went to the premiere of 9-11: Press For Truth in the Bay area Oakland, CA last night and in the words of George Tenet.....slam dunk!!!!

It makes the official story look like a cheap conspiracy theory.

Weaving the story of the Jersey girls and other family members efforts to get an investigation into the 9-11 attacks and the timeline of Paul Thompson at http://www.cooperativeresearch.org, the film clearly points out the outlandish nature of the official story.

The great thing is, it isn't a conspiracy theory documentary. In fact, the word "conspiracy" isn't even muttered. Not once. No "Bush did it". No mention of bombs, no-planes, holes in the ground, pentagon walls, planted evidence...no assumptions or theories.

Every fact is taken from news sources just like the terror timeline. It is focused on the pre 9-11 warnings, the steps taken by government leaders to protect themselves after receiving these warnings, and the concerted effort to cover-up their knowledge and stonewall and limit the investigation once national media attention brought to light the lack of effort to actually investigate the biggest crime ever to take place on American soil.

It is also focused on Pakistan and the dubious relationship between the CIA and ISI, showing that those responsible for funding the terrorists were in fact the same people who would now be our "best friends" in the war on terror. It documents the payment authorized by General Mahmoud Ahmad the ISI chief through Umar Sheikh to Mohammad Atta and asks the question, "why was this guy, who later was shown to have authorized a payment to the lead hijacker by Indian intellignce and confirmed by the FBI doing in Washington DC ON the morning of Sept 11th?"

Pretty good article that gives a little history of Aghanistan and the Taliban, some discussion of alternative theories at the end, check it out:

http://countercurrents.org/us-ruijter170806.htm

However, if we stick to the facts, and throw out all the information that comes from unverifiable sources, our world looks very different. This research article is intended to reveal the facts that lead to the US invasion of Afghanistan and to reveal the logical place of the 9/11events in that context. It is not meant to offend anyone. Don't read it if you are pleased with the "official" version of our history.
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