There was a minor furore among some circles when the Taliban released

two Chinese hostages that had been held captive by the group in the
Pakistan-Afghan border area.

Some voices were heard suggesting that a secret deal was reached with
the bearded mullahs in the hostages' release and that such action would
encourage and strengthen the hand of the anti-US group.

These voices should not ignore the fact that the Taliban is not going
to disappear from Pakistan or Afghanistan any time soon. In fact, they
would still be around long after we have grown old and passed on.

The Taliban is a very highly and deeply religious group and the Islamist
religion happens to be one religion that has a firm grip on its believers.
It is not just a religion, but also it represents a way of life and the
only permitted culture acceptable to its believers.

The fact is we might be seeing the US facing a second 'Nam in Afghanistan.

Despite the recent change in the US administration, on the ground, the

American military is continuing where it had left off. Missile salvoes
still sail across the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing
civilians and militants alike and stoking great anger in the process.

People living in the border areas along the Pak-Afghan frontier are never
at all dependent on their respective governments for daily survival. The
tribes are all independent of the central authority in Islamabad or Kabul.
They do not need them either for food, fuel or guns. They have the full
ability to take care of all their needs. Such a situation means that they
need not owe any obligation or allegiance to the people ruling in Kabul or
Islamabad. They could also easily obtain cash from the poppy trade that
still exists in the region today, a legacy of colonial times gone by.

These tribal people are also known for their love of firearms and with
their keen knowledge of their territory, they are no pushovers.

No amount of high technology and military weaponry can overcome the spirit
of these people, who historically, live a hardy life. Instead, the constant
killing of their women and children will only increase their anger, hatred
and their determination to rid their land of all foreign presence. Already,
the Taliban influence in NW Pakistan is growing very rapidly and strongly.

The US and Nato forces in Afghanistan were supposed to capture ben Laden,
but till today they have failed to do so. In fact, they could not even get
close enough to get any whiff of his natural odours given that he was
suffering from kidney illness.

While not being able to achieve their objective of capturing ben Laden,
the US military instead took off in the wrong direction and started to
use the local civilians as their free inexhaustible cannon fodder.

Eventually, the Taliban and the ben Laden people will be able to acquire
more sophisticated weapons and by then, they will be in no mood for any
compromise or mercy. They will then be ready to exact revenge.

The continued killing of women and children in Pakistan and Afghanistan

by the US military will be like digging your own grave before your time
is due. When the right time comes, all that is needed is a push.
If the US military has absolutely no chance of catching ben Laden, then it
might be time to make yourself scarce. It's still not too late to do so.

The reason why the two hostages were released was because they were not
regarded as enemies, specifically not the enemies of Islam.

But for the US in Afghanistan, the Taliban will surely ensure that their
future there will be filled only with images of IndoChina and Vietnam.