Afghanistan readies programme to reintegrate Taliban

I / Kabul May 11, 2010, 16:23 IST

Small pockets of Taliban foot soldiers ready to switch sides are waiting for the Afghan government to roll out a nationwide programme to lure them off the battlefield and make peace with their leaders.

The plan won't be completed until after this month's peace assembly in Kabul, but according to a 36-page draft, it would attract low - to mid level fighters with promises of jobs, literacy and vocational training plus development aid for their villages.

Reaching out to top Taliban leaders would be done through political channels, perhaps by striking them off the UN sanctions list or granting a few exile to another nation, according to the draft, obtained yesterday by The Associated Press.

 

The Afghanistan Peace and Reconciliation Programme, backed by a trust fund soon to be flush with $160 million in pledges from the US, Japan, Britain and other nations, has been in the works for months. It is a topic of talks Afghan President Hamid Karzai is having in Washington this week with President Barack Obama.

A successful political resolution to the nearly 9-year war is key to any US exit strategy, and Pakistan and other neighbouring nations have a stake in any design of a post-conflict Afghanistan. Reintegration is "more than just a few mullahs changing sides," Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, a top Karzai adviser who is crafting the reintegration programme, said before leaving for Washington.

According to Stanekzai and NATO officials, insurgents in a handful of provinces including Herat in the west, Baghlan and Balkh in the north and Daykundi in the south have already expressed interest in signing up for the reintegration programme.

To join, insurgents must renounce violence, respect the Afghan constitution and sever ties with al-Qaida or other terrorist networks. Because the programme isn't yet ready, the Afghan government recently sent the country's 34 provincial governors a nine-page letter with guidance for dealing with insurgents who say they are ready to quit the insurgency.

It says that while the reintegration programme won't be finalised until after the peace gathering in the capital, local officials should start reaching out to insurgents interested in carrying Afghanistan's black, red and green flag instead of the Taliban's white banner.

Sultan Ali Uruzgani, who recently stepped down as governor of Daykundi province, received one of the letters. He said he has since travelled to Gizab district, which is heavily influenced by the Taliban, to meet with about 1,200 people and encourage insurgents to join with the government.