On the heels of an Afghan Islamic Press piece that 40 Taliban soldiers have defected to the Kabul government, the Associated Press reports that at least 900 Taliban footsoldiers and leaders have defected from the Taliban. Lured, by a new integration program that promises jobs and educational training, insurgents have laid down their weapons to join the effort against their own compatriots-the Taliban.
Deb Riechman, writing for the AP reports:
“The months-old reintegration program, which attracts fighters with promises of jobs, literacy and vocational training plus development aid for their villages, is slowly gaining acceptance but faces serious challenges, said Maj. Gen. Phil Jones, who tracks the reintegration effort at NATO headquarters in Kabul.”
How does reintegration of this sort work? The AP piece points out the mechanics of this new policy:
“The program is funded by a trust fund flush with $130 million from Japan, Germany, Estonia, Denmark and Britain. The United States has committed an additional $50 million.”
“To join, insurgents must renounce violence, respect the Afghan constitution and sever ties with al-Qaida or other terrorist networks. Small financial incentives are offered to those who enroll to help them with food and shelter, but aid is being channeled into projects and programs that benefit the former insurgents’ communities.”
This new program is part and parcel of General David Petraeus counterinsurgency move to disarm and dislocate–indeed, relocate?- the Taliban, by playing at their own game: pay off foot soldiers to join in the fray in war and peace. The road to a sustained and separate peace is long. Consider that many defectors have had their homes burned to the ground by their former comrades in the anti-government insurgency.
Now this news was entirely expected. Nevertheless, it is still worth reporting. Good news is always worth reporting. Perhaps the best piece of news is the bit that’s gone unnoticed: the new reintegration policy looks likely to deliver more foot soldiers, away from the Taliban, to Kabul before the policy falls apart from the strain of the rampant corruption in Afghanistan. It’s certainly funded well enough to run on for at least a year or two.
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