Taliban Officials Tell of Plans to Grind Down the Americans

Taliban fighters still alive in Afghanistan plan to wage a grinding guerilla war against US troops, similar to the strategy waged against the Soviets during their occupation in the 1980s. Such fighters claim that Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar still resides in Afghanistan, hidden and directing operations. Fighters also foresee growing support for their cause as a result of the lack of security and crawling reconstruction in the countryside. Similar to the mujahadeen's strategy during Soviet occupation, the Taliban's plan is to gather support in the countryside and then move into the cities – though this could take years. One Taliban leader asserts that had Pakistan not abandoned the Taliban, the US would not have a chance. And although sporadic fighting has accelerated in the past month, pitched battles are easily won by US forces. Thus the question remains whether Taliban rhetoric is mere posturing or whether it can gather enough support in the countryside to threaten security and frustrate the US enough to force it to leave Afghanistan. – YaleGlobal