Taliban Leader Encourages U.S. and NATO Forces to Study History

Taking an opportunity during a Muslim holiday to send a message to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Taliban leader Mullah Omar has encourage what he refers to as "invading" forces to study the history of war in the country. Omar’s refers, of course, to the fact that no foreign force has met with much success in the country, primarily the result of loosely-organized militant groups to hide for weeks on end before striking out with small measures and slowly weakening the resolve of foreign forces. As the former Soviet Union discovered during the 1970s and 1980s, the psychological toll of retaining forces in the region can be high.

For U.S. and NATO forces, the same may be true. 2009 has been the deadliest year of the conflict in the region for allied troops, and support for the war effort throughout the U.S. and Europe continues to wane. In his message, Omar noted, "We would like to point out that we fought against the British invaders for 80 years from 1839 to 1919 and ultimately got independence by defeating [Britain]."

Omar went on, "Today we have strong determination, military training and effective weapons. Still more, we have preparedness for a long war and the regional situation is in our favor. Therefore, we will continue to wage jihad until we gain independence and force the invaders to pull out." It is believed that Omar is currently in hiding – the de facto state of all Taliban leaders – in Pakistan, but he has not been seen in years. Still, ambushes of allied forces in the region have escalated in recently months, even as they have become more sophisticated.