How Can The Taliban Pay Their Soldiers More Than What We Can Pay The Afghan Soldiers?
(CNN) — Two of the biggest goals for U.S. forces in Afghanistan are building up Afghan security forces and convincing Taliban fighters to lay down their arms — and cash could come into play in achieving both.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived in Afghanistan Tuesday on an unannounced trip, said money is a key reason why the Afghan government might be having recruiting and retention problems with its security forces.
Read more ….
My Comment: Am I the only one who sees something wrong here?
If this is true, I think it is our interest to know who is funding the Taliban, where are they receiving their monies and weapons, the intermediaries and arms suppliers, and what banks and institutions are facilitating their war.
My gut tells me that the military and the intelligence news agencies probably know the answers to these questions …. or have a good idea …. but for their own reasons are keeping it under wraps.
As to building up the Afghan Army (and the problems in this process), the New York Times has a good editorial on this topic here.
Update: Pay increase boosts applications for Afghan police — Washington Post
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There are only about 5,000 Taliban. It takes 30 to 40 times as many soldiers to effectively oppose them because they are scattered over a very large area, launching surprise attacks and withdrawing.
The cost of paying the Taliban, if it averages 300/month per fighter, works out to 1.5 million per month. The Taliban is largely funded by the opium trade.
It costs many times this amount to fund the large force necessary to fight this kind of insurgency.