The much-vaunted "reintegration" of the Taliban, which Britain has funded with £7 million, is not quite what it seems, writes Ben Farmer in Kabul.

The truth about Taliban 'reintegration' - Telegraph


PS 1200 quid a year is BIG money for an Afghan.

They're gonna burn in hell

Twisted Sister - 03 Burn In Hell - YouTube

Gosh, what a surprise.

...
A leaked Nato report earlier this month also appeared to cast doubt on the very premise of the reintegration programme - that Taliban fighters are tired, motivated by money and want a way out.
Interrogators who have questioned thousands of insurgent prisoners in the past year reported instead that they remain motivated, feel their support is rising and their victory inevitable as foreign troops withdraw.
Fighters in Helmand, where the great majority of Britain's 397 dead have been killed, remain too afraid of their comrades in the Taliban to publicly relinquish the struggle and join the scheme despite security gains in the province, Nato and Afghan officials said.
...

It's worth bearing in mind Britain's seven million quid (out of a fund of 92 million) is small change compared to the cost to the UK of deploying troops over there, that's run at at least three billion quid PA.
The Septics reckon a million bucks per pair of boots on the ground PA.

In recent history Afghans have often actively switched sides for cash but they also like to be on the winning side, looking like you are liable to bugger off in a couple of years may not be helpful.

A hundred quid a month may be a lot to Afghan but if your Terry chums (who pay pretty well) are going to come round and cut your balls off it may seem rather paltry. So it's no surprise there is lots of fraud by fake taliban but then even small gains would make this scheme cost effective.

Originally Posted by eodmatt

Gosh, what a surprise.

My thoughts exactly.

It is all such a load of bollocks, the whole program is just another tick in the box before our abject failiure (victory in 2015/2014/2013) along the Afgan Police and ANA, they will all turn back to the dark side the moment we have fucked off. How the Government of this country should hang it's collective head in shame. It knows what it is going to do, it knows the likely outcome, yet it will go ahead and do it with their head held high because on paper they ticked the right boxes.
If they want to pull out just do it, I cannot see the point of losing one more coalition life for the shitehole for the sake of what is now a face saving exercise.
Just get out and say we fucked it up but we tried, we let our troops down, we apologise for every injury and death to British troops, who by the way were as ever outstanding in their efforts to secure our flawed policies.

The Taliban's position was stated about a year or so ago: that there was no point in negotiating as they would simply wait until the Western forces had buggered off, then they would retake the country.

Originally Posted by Bernster

It is all such a load of bollocks, the whole program is just another tick in the box before our abject failiure (victory in 2015/2014/2013) along the Afgan Police and ANA, they will all turn back to the dark side the moment we have fucked off. How the Government of this country should hang it's collective head in shame. It knows what it is going to do, it knows the likely outcome, yet it will go ahead and do it with their head held high because on paper they ticked the right boxes.
If they want to pull out just do it, I cannot see the point of losing one more coalition life for the shitehole for the sake of what is now a face saving exercise.
Just get out and say we fucked it up but we tried, we let our troops down, we apologise for every injury and death to British troops, who by the way were as ever outstanding in their efforts to secure our flawed policies.

A bloody shame but I think I have to agree with you.

I worked on the "National Solidarity program" which had more logical holes than a string vest and a couple of equally cracked brained UN programs.

As discussed before, the reconstruction policies have all been made by over educated idiots with no common sense and there has been way too much mission creep.

This latest scheme is merely a continuation of a comedy of errors.

The creativity with which our Govt finds ever more pointless ways to throw away our money is amazing.

Originally Posted by Bernster

It is all such a load of bollocks, the whole program is just another tick in the box before our abject failiure (victory in 2015/2014/2013) along the Afgan Police and ANA, they will all turn back to the dark side the moment we have fucked off. How the Government of this country should hang it's collective head in shame. It knows what it is going to do, it knows the likely outcome, yet it will go ahead and do it with their head held high because on paper they ticked the right boxes.
If they want to pull out just do it, I cannot see the point of losing one more coalition life for the shitehole for the sake of what is now a face saving exercise.
Just get out and say we fucked it up but we tried, we let our troops down, we apologise for every injury and death to British troops, who by the way were as ever outstanding in their efforts to secure our flawed policies.

Word is anyway and regardless that once the troopies leave, the glorious and dashing Afgahn leader will be 5 mins behind them, such is his love amongst his people