The Irrepressible Taliban!

The Taliban are proving to be increasingly irrepressible. They seem to be adapting, faster than expected, to the challenges confronting them. Although in terms of weaponry they cannot match the vastly superior Western forces, in terms of propaganda, psyops and operational reach they are proving to be a force to reckon with. In retrospect one can say that the Taliban made good use of the time made available to them by the United States when it shifted its focus towards Iraq in late 2002. While US forces were busy ‘liberating’ the Iraqi people, the Taliban undertook important structural and operational transformations, which made them a much more formidable and effective force. While the Taliban still retain some of their fundamental characteristics, they have tactfully improvised on many other areas, especially their military tactics and approach towards media and propaganda.