Taliban Announcements
The Taliban have started making announcements of US helicopters shot down, hundreds of civilians killed and will no real proof provided. They seem to be attempting to generate public opinion in their favor in the Islamic world.
I believe the attacks of September 11th were a lot more serious than Bin Landen and the Taliban were expecting. My guess is that they were expecting damaged World Trade Center towers and not the collapse of the deaths of so many. Sure the fanatics were probably ecstatic, but I believe some realized it would not give them the results they were looking for and would tip the balance of world opinion against them, but once done there was no way to turn things back. They were looking for a large enough attack to spur the US to attack Afghanistan so that they could cause the Islamic world to come to their aid with huge demonstrations against the US that their governments could not ignore and would, in the end, start a war between the Islamic world and the west. Instead, the attack produced over 5,000 civilian casualties which have instead coalested support, though quiet, against the Taliban and Bin Laden.
The attacks against their military infrastructure has probably made them realize that their cause is about to be lost and their troops are being demoralized. They are now desperately trying to create support in the Islamic world for them. Their latest statement -- that they are being targeted because of their Islamic religion --is not ringing true with the Islamic world. The silent Islamic majority wants to see them gone and if it takes the US and Britain to do it, it's best to sit back and let it happen.
10/22/01
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